'Cody' wins Westerner; Kalfaari 5th

EDMONTON, Alberta - Owner-trainer Clint Willson thought the 1 5/16 miles of the $40,000 Westerner might be too far for Kalfaari, Manitoba's reigning horse of the year. As it turns out, his suspicions proved correct. Kalfaari finished fifth in the Westerner last Friday, ending an eight-race winning streak.

Kalfaari stalked the pace of Lord Shogun through the first mile. As the field entered the final turn, jockey Sean Evans asked Kalfaari to make his customary late move, but there was nothing left in the tank. Kalfaari ended up two lengths behind the winner, They Call Me Cody, who defeated Bubblegum Kid by a length.

Before the race Willson also stated that Kalfaari seemed unusually placid, and there are now questions whether he will race again in 2003.

In other action last weekend, Classa Red Wine further established herself as the top 2-year-old filly in Alberta when she easily won the $50,000 Filly Sale Stakes.

Jockey Quincy Welch took her to the front in the 6 1/2-furlong race and she made it look easy, finishing two lengths ahead of Executive Time.

"She was much the best today," Welch said. "Last time I had her in a stalking position, but there wasn't much speed and they were pretty easy fractions so she just ran away with it. She's definitely the class of the bunch."

Later in the day the 2-year-old colts ran in their $50,000 Sale Stake, and Polaris outdueled Duracat down the lane to win.