Extra rest may help Killin Me Smalls in Harvest Gold Plate

If Saturday’s card at Northlands Park looks similar to the one that was canceled due to unsafe track conditions last Monday, it is because the four $50,000 stakes scheduled were not redrawn. Instead, they were rescheduled with no changes to post positions or jockeys.

The horse who could benefit the most from the five extra days is Killin Me Smalls, who likely will be favored in the $50,000 Harvest Gold Plate Handicap. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up goes as race 10 on the 11-race card that begins at 1 p.m. Mountain.

Supporting the Gold Plate are the one-mile Freedom of the City for 2-year-old fillies and the Canadian Juvenile for 2-year-olds at a mile. The 1 1/16-mile Duchess of York Handicap features a matchup between the top local 3-year-old filly, Onestaratatime, and the best older female, Hero’s Amor.

Trained by Ernie Keller, Killin Me Smalls is coming off a front-running win going 11 furlongs in the Grade 3, $100,000 Premier’s Handicap at Hastings on Oct. 1. If the Gold Plate hadn’t been postponed, he would have been coming back pretty quickly following a big race going a marathon distance.

Keller has conflicting thoughts regarding the extra time the rescheduled race gives Killin Me Smalls.

“In one way, it’s good he isn’t coming back that quickly, but the track has been terrible, so I haven’t been able to work him,” said Keller.

Keller’s main concern is that there is a lot of speed in the field, and Killin Me Smalls likes to be involved early. In the Premier’s, Keller was hoping for jockey Keishan Balgobin to ease the 6-year-old Killin Me Smalls into a stalking position, but he broke alertly and dragged Balgobin to the lead, setting moderate fractions under no pressure.

“It seems like it is getting harder to get him to rate,” said Keller. “Unlike the Premier’s, the pace will be fast, and hopefully he will be able to sit off of it.”

Killin Me Smalls will break from post 2, with Balgobin retaining the mount.

Royal Warrior could pick up the pieces if a duel does develop.

Trained by David Nicholson, Royal Warrior rallied from last to beat Blue Dancer by 3 1/4 lengths in the $75,000 Speed to Spare at Northlands on Sept. 5 and then was up against it after Killin Me Smalls got away on his own in the Premier’s, where he finished sixth.

Blue Dancer, trained by Greg Tracy, will appreciate the shorter distance after setting the pace in the 1 3/8-mile Speed to Spare.

Prior to his runner-up finish in the Speed to Spare, Blue Dancer had only lost once in non-graded races, and that came when he got into an all-out duel with Killin Me Smalls in the Westerner. Killin Me Smalls survived the duel and held off Royal Warrior by a neck. Blue Dancer faded to sixth.

◗ Onestaratatime, trained by Tracy, has dominated the local 3-year-old filly division, winning the last four stakes at Northlands by a combined 30 1/4 lengths.

She has the same running style as Hero’s Amor, who scored front-running wins in her last two starts at Northlands, the $50,000 Madamoiselle and the $75,000 City of Edmonton. The Tim Rycroft-trained Hero’s Amor set a fast pace before fading in her most recent start, the $75,000 Delta Colleen at Hastings on Sept. 10.

Leading jockey Rico Walcott, the usual rider for both horses, sticks with Onestaratatime. Dane Nelson picks up the mount on Hero’s Amor.

Last year’s Duchess of York winner, Can’t Use Nellie, could pick up the pieces if the top two get carried away up front. Trained by Shelley Brown, Can’t Use Nellie is coming off a win going 1 1/8 miles in the $25,000 Matron at Assiniboia Downs on Sept. 9.

◗ Ruffenuff, trained by Tracy, will be a short price to win the Freedom of the City. She is coming off a 12 1/2-length romp in the $48,000 Bird of Pay and could be gone if she breaks alertly from the rail with Quincy Welch retaining the mount.

◗ Norm’s Big Bucks also will be a short price when he tries to remain undefeated in the Canadian Juvenile. Trained by Rycroft, Norm’s Big Bucks is coming off a 2 1/4-length win over Captain Will in the $50,000 Alberta Premier’s Futurity. He was also an easy winner of his two previous races, including a 7 1/2-length romp in the $49,000 Sales Stakes for 2-year-olds.