Dropper finds a good spot

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Alittlebitextra figures to be a solid favorite in the feature race at Hastings Sunday. The $15,000 claiming race for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles drew eight horses and goes as the ninth race.

Alittlebitextra is taking a substantial drop following a close fourth in a $32,000 optional claiming race Aug. 26. Considering it was her first start in over two months, Alittlebitextra could take a big step forward Sunday. Trained by Harold Barroby, Alittlebitextra won a sprint for this price earlier in the meet and either of her last two races going 1 1/16 miles would probably be good enough to win here.

Alittlebitextra will be ridden by Anderson Ward.

Free Kiss, who comes out of the John Snow barn, is the kind of horse that wins a lot of races this time of year and could pull off an upset. She's relatively fresh, with only six starts at the meet, and she appears to be a horse who is rapidly improving. She easily handled $8,000 nonwinners-of-three sprinters for her second win in a row Aug. 26 and she just might be good enough to handle the move to open company. A 4-year-old Florida-bred, Free Kiss has never gone this far, but a couple of her siblings won going long so she figures to handle the distance. Snow also has very good statistics in all the categories relating to horses going a distance.

David Wilson picks up the mount on Free Kiss from Ward.

Built This City, another horse going around three turns for the first time, is the one they will be chasing.