Beau Spirit looks to be a stalker

CALGARY, Alberta - Beau Spirit, winner of four races during her fine 3-year-old season, makes her first start against older fillies and mares in Friday's featured seventh race at Stampede Park, a six-furlong sprint that attracted a solid field of nine.

Beau Spirit began 2008 in a sprint restricted to 4-year-old fillies and had the misfortune of hooking the rapid Beth's Best Bet, who ran away and hid, then followed up by going wire to wire in the M. R. Jenkins Memorial.

Beau Spirit chased fast fractions and predictably weakened that day but should improve off that effort, and has drawn post 3 with regular rider Jake Barton aboard in Friday's race, a $40,000 optional claimer. She runs best from just off the pace, and that is where Barton will be looking to place her.

Sassy Sarah figures to be part of the early pace but is marooned in the outside post, and rider Real Simard will be forced to use some horse early if he hopes to cross over in the run through the first turn.

Speedy Gone Sally has the look of a live one here and drew the cozy post 2 with Rickey Walcott up.

Speedy Gone Sally, a 6-year-old trained by Bob Kingston, was wide throughout the Sales Stakes here April 12 in her only outing at the meet but has three solid five-furlong drills since and is capable on her best effort.

R Beau Genes won her opener in front-running fashion but is capable of stalking, and leading rider Quincy Welch will likely employ a stalk-and-pounce strategy from post 4 this time around.