Beau Spirit comes in off solid win

EDMONTON, Alberta - The racing secretary at Northlands Park, Fred Hilts, was able to attract a strong field of fillies and mares for Wednesday's featured seventh race. The quality of the field is owed in part to the interesting conditions of the 1 1/16-mile allowance, written for horses who are nonwinners of a sweepstakes in 2008 and must have started at Northlands this year.

Besides writing out the likes of Tanika and Holy Nova, who are the dominant forces in their division, the conditions prevent shippers from grabbing the major portion of the attractive $25,000 purse.

Six of the nine entrants were bred outside the province, including the probable favorite, Beau Spirit.

A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred, Beau Spirit is stakes-placed twice at this meet, finishing second to stablemate Tanika in the Wild Rose and third behind Holy Nova and Tanika in the John Patrick, and comes off an impressive allowance score at a mile on Aug. 23.

Her main challenge could come from the 4-year-old Fox on a Ridge. A 4-year-old British Columbia-bred, Fox on a Ridge has similar credentials after running second to Tanika in the Madamoiselle and third to Holy Nova and Tanika in the City of Edmonton Distaff, both at Wednesday's distance.

o Jockey Rickey A. Walcott won his 1,000th race on Sunday when he rode P S Kin ($6.10) to victory in the third race at Northlands.