Boomtown Brat primed for peak effort in Saturday feature

Boomtown Brat looks like the one to catch and beat in a $35,000 optional-claiming race at Northlands Park on Saturday. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint attracted a solid field of nine horses, including six stakes winners.

Trained by a white-hot Greg Tracy, Boomtown Brat is coming off a second-place finish behind Commander in the $48,620 Journal Handicap on May 19. With Scott Williams aboard, Boomtown Brat broke alertly from the inside post, set quick fractions, and then held on well when Commander cruised by him in the stretch. Commander came back to win the $51,140 Spangled Jimmy for his ninth win in 10 starts at Northlands.

Boomtown Brat also ran a big race in his first start of the year, narrowly losing by a head to Call Me Lou in a $35,000 optional-claiming race going six furlongs with Rico Walcott on May 3. He could be ready for a peak effort in the third start of his current form cycle, and he is certainly going to appreciate the easier company.

Walcott will ride Boomtown Brat.

Silver Baubles is the only horse to win a race that Commander has been in at Northlands. Last year, he won the $58,360 Journal, with Commander finishing third behind runner-up Tiny Giant. Trained by Ron Grieves, Silver Baubles ran evenly while finishing fourth in the Journal in his first start this year. He could take a big step forward with a race behind him, and if Red Red Rose puts enough pressure on Boomtown Brat, he could pick up the pieces.

Up Jumps a Monster looked like he might be a monster when he reeled off four impressive wins in 2011 and 2012, including the $50,000 Ky Alta. After his win in the Ky Alta, he finished a distant second as the heavy favorite to Balooga Bull in the Manitoba Derby, and other than a couple of third-place finishes, he hasn’t been a real threat since. He will be adding blinkers, and over the past five years, his trainer, Rob Chabot, has won with 33 percent of his starters running with blinkers for the first time.

Aces Again closed out 2013 with a front-running win going 1 1/16 miles in the $53,120 Harvest Gold Plate and clearly wants more distance.

Multiple stakes winner Bond James Bond could be coming up to a peak effort with leading rider Quincy Welch picking up the mount.