Killin Me Smalls cuts back in Harvest Gold Plate Handicap

Trainer Ernie Keller wanted jockey Keishan Balgobin to ease Killin Me Smalls off the pace in the $100,000, Grade 3 Premier’s Handicap at Hastings on Oct. 1. Instead, Killin Me Smalls dragged Balgobin to the lead, and after setting moderate interior fractions, he was able to hold off longshot Venetian Mask to win the 1 3/8-mile race for the second year in a row.

If Killin Me Smalls is going to win the $50,000 Harvest Gold Plate Handicap at Northlands Park on Monday, Balgobin will need to get him to sit off what figures to be a fast and contested pace in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up that drew seven horses.

The Harvest Gold Plate is the gem of a stakes-rich card that includes the $50,000 Freedom of the City for 2-year-old fillies and the $50,000 Canadian Juvenile for 2-year-olds. Spicing up the day is a matchup in the $50,000 Duchess of York Handicap between the top 3-year-old filly at Northlands, Onestaratatime, and the best older filly or mare, Hero’s Amor.

Killin Me Smalls has won three of his last four races, with the lone loss coming when he dueled with the fastest horse at Hastings, Modern, in the $75,000 S.W. Randall Plate on Sept. 10. There is plenty of other speed in the Harvest Gold Plate, particularly Corky’s Luck and Blue Dancer.

“He’s a hard horse to take back,” said Keller. “If we are going to win Monday, Keishan is going to have to figure out how to do it though.”

Keller wasn’t too concerned about the quick turnaround after Killin Me Smalls ran such a big race going a marathon distance Oct. 1.

“He’s doing really well right now,” he said. “Plus, this will be his last start this year, so he’ll have plenty of time to rest.”

The 6-year-old Ontario-bred will break from post No. 2 carrying the highweight of 123 pounds.

Blue Dancer will appreciate the shorter distance after finishing second to Royal Warrior going 1 3/8 miles in the $75,000 Speed to Spare on Sept. 5.

Trained by Greg Tracy, Blue Dancer was an easy, front-running winner over Killin Me Smalls in the Fred Jones Handicap on July 16, but after dueling with Killin Me Smalls through sprint-like fractions, he faded to sixth in the Westerner Handicap.

Royal Warrior will appreciate the shape of the race. Trained by David Nicholson, Royal Warrior came from last when he lost by a neck to Killin Me Smalls in the Westerner, and he also trailed the field early when he won the Speed to Spare over Blue Dancer by 3 1/4 lengths.

Like the rest of the closers, his chances faded when Killin Me Smalls was left alone on the lead in the Premier’s. He ended up finishing sixth.

◗ Onestaratatime won the last four stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Northlands by a combined 30 1/4 lengths. The Tracy-trained daughter of Cape Canaveral will get a serious test when she takes on older fillies and mares for the first time in the 1 1/16-mile Duchess of York, however.

The horse she will have to beat is Hero’s Amor, who has a similar front-running style. Trained by Tim Rycroft, the 4-year-old daughter of Street Hero used her good speed to win the $51,000 Madamoiselle and the $75,000 City of Edmonton. In her most recent start, she set too fast of a pace before fading to finish seventh in the $75,000 Delta Colleen at Hastings on Sept. 10.

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

If the top two get carried away early, it could set the stage for Can’t Use Nellie, who rallied to win this race last year for trainer Shelly Brown. The 5-year-old Ontario-bred is coming off a win going 1 1/8 miles in the $25,000 Matron at Assiniboia Downs on Sept. 9.

◗ Rycroft will saddle the even-money morning-line favorite, Norm’s Big Bucks, in the one-mile Canadian Juvenile. He gives Trooper John, who is coming off a win in the Winnipeg Futurity at Assiniboia Downs, a big shot at pulling off an upset, though.

“I just think Trooper John, he might be better going long,” he said.

Norm’s Big Bucks is undefeated in three starts and easily owns the best Beyer Speed Figures in the field.

◗ Tracy’s Ruffenuff, a 12 1/2-length winner of the Bird of Pay Stakes on Sept. 9, will be a short price to win the one-mile Freedom of the City.