'Lovelysong' will be hard to catch

CALGARY, Alberta - Another Lovelysong heads a field of six fillies and mares in the featured eighth race here at Stampede Park on Friday evening, a four-furlong dash for $17,500 claimers.

Another Lovelysong, a 5-year-old Washington-bred, has trained strongly for trainer Ron Grieves, including a bullet four-furlong drill in 46.80 seconds on

March 14. She appears to possess the best early foot in the field and will be very tough to catch if she breaks alertly from post 2 under Quincy Welch.

Another Lovelysong's biggest challenge may come from Classa Red Wine, a stakes winner at 2 who is dropping to the lowest level of her career following an unproductive campaign last year. Classa Red Wine has trained steadily for trainer Dale Saunders. Perry Winters rides from post 5.

The half-milers continue through this second weekend of the young season, and race secretary Russ Armstrong has scheduled six-furlong sprints for next Wednesday.

* Opening weekend produced a track record for a half-mile when Tricky Thinker finished in 43.40 under Stephan Heiler in Sunday's featured eighth race. The old record was 43.80, set by Adventuresome Love 13 years earlier.

* Jockey Nobel Abrego won a race in each of the first three days of the meet, including a score aboard Hi Hoo Skippio on Saturday for trainer Joan Petrowski. Petrowski won two races opening night and three races Saturday to take an early lead in the trainer standings.