Dark Fuse returns to sprinting

EDMONTON, Alberta - Dark Fuse will be the 119-pound topweight and should rule as the favorite as he returns to sprinting in Saturday's Western Canada for 3-year-olds at Northlands Park.

Owned by George and Rosemarie Hominuik, Dark Fuse heads a field of nine in the 6 1/2-furlong Western Canada and will break from post 7 under Orlando Martinez.

After winning an allowance following a nose defeat at the same level, Dark Fuse won the President's Handicap in his first stakes try, at Stampede Park this spring.

He then was second in the one-mile Hoofprint on My Heart, but gave up the chase when he faltered to a seventh-place finish in the Alberta Derby at 1 1/16 miles.

Dark Fuse had a respectable 2-year-old campaign in 2001. But when asked to go 1 1/16 miles that year, he finished up the track in the Edmonton Juvenile.

Cat in a Bag, the second highweight at 117 pounds with Jaime Santos up, is expected to be one of the chief dangers, but his chances were compromised by his draw of post 9.

This will be the first stakes attempt for Cat in a Bag, who has won three of his four races and was a bang-up second in his other appearance.

Intore should be another strong challenger off his latest, a handy allowance score over 6 1/2 furlongs here last week.

Sweet Drummer has been second twice this year but was no factor in the President's, and Silent Shoes has not been worse than fourth in five 2002 appearances, including a fourth-place finish in the President's.

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