Bruces Quest on way up

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Bruces Quest will run on Lasix for the first time in Friday's featured eighth race, a first-level allowance for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.

A son of Coronado's Quest, Bruces Quest defeated a weak maiden special weight group at first asking July 8. He followed that race with a 24-point Beyer Speed Figure improvement when finishing third at this level July 24.

Trainer Chad Torevell has named Carlos Marquez to ride Bruces Quest for the first time. Tim Gardiner, who was aboard in Bruces Quest's first two starts, rides Illalwaysbethere.

Hitchinpost Louie and Goneoutandabout finished second and third in a race at this level last time on Aug. 12. Illalwaysbethere, Wishin for Amillion, and Weyford - the fourth-, eighth-, and ninth-place finishers from that race - also are entered here.

Lil Cow finished 1 1/2 lengths behind Bruces Quest two starts back July 24, when Bruces Quest was third and Lil Cow was fourth. Shawhan faces straight 3-year-olds after two attempts at this level against older horses.

Smarten Happy, well beaten in two starts at this level last month, and Icelandic Conquest round out the field.

* Albarino ($3.90), scored his third victory of the year in last Saturday's Agassiz Stakes. He completed the mile in 1:38.60 under Rohan Singh. Gus Again was second with His Money third. The win was Albarino's second in a restricted stakes and increased his earnings to $134,508.

* Barnstorm ($21.90) won Sunday's restricted North Dakota Stallion Stakes. Missing Fortune finished second, and Catch Me Talkin was third. Trained by Ardell Sayler and ridden by Larren Delorme, Barnstorm completed the six furlongs in 1:15. The win was the second in as many starts here for Barnstorm, a 2-year-old son of Storm of the Night.

* Singh won four races last Friday and two more Saturday and leads all local jockeys with 61 wins. Delorme is second with 52 victories.

* Trainer Ardell Sayler, who won two races last Friday and one both Saturday and Sunday, tops the trainer standings with 45 wins. Carl Anderson won four races over the past four race days to give him a slight edge in the battle for second spot, with 27 wins, ahead of Emile Corbel (25) and Jared Brown (24).