Commanding Ace to gun it in Northlands claimer

Commanding Ace can be a very tough horse to get past when he gets his head in front early, and he looks like the best speed in Friday’s featured seventh race at Northlands Park.

Along with Millwright, Commanding Ace is dropping into a 6 1/2-furlong $22,000 claiming race that drew six older horses. They both had a hard time keeping up with a tough group of horses in a $40,000 optional claiming sprint July 16.

Commanding Ace was up close to a very fast pace before fading to last in the quickly run race won by Inuit Fisher, a multiple stakes winning sprinter with $178,340 in career earnings. Commanding Ace, trained by Jim Meyaard, went into the race off of back-to-back wins in a $15,000 nonwinners-of-two claiming race May 29 and a 4 1/2-length romp in a second-level allowance race June 6.

Rico Walcott retains the mount, and there isn’t much doubt he will be gunning for the lead right out of the gate.

Millwright finished in front of Commanding Ace in Inuit Fisher’s race, but he never really got involved while Commanding Ace was at least in the thick of the battle early. Millwright won a second-level allowance race for trainer Greg Tracy on June 26, and it was his first start since he finished fourth in a $12,500 conditional claiming event at Woodbine last September.

Millwright does have some speed, and if he can put enough pressure on Commanding Ace early it could set up for Plagiarist who came from off the pace to win his last two races for $17,500. Plagiarist will be making his first start for trainer Cody Anderson, who claimed him off of Meyaard on July 9.