Macho North stretches out in Wednesday claiming feature
Macho North will try to carry his substantial speed around two turns when he runs in a $20,000 claiming race for 2-year-olds on Wednesday at Northlands Park. The six-furlong sprint for non-winners of two drew eight horses and headlines a midweek card that begins at 6:30 p.m. Mountain.
Trained by Greg Tracy, Macho North showed potential in his debut, finishing second in a 3 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race June 13. Tracy brought him back in the $49,000 Edmonton Juvenile on July 25, and after forcing a quick pace in the six-furlong dash, he held on well to finish third.
Macho North finished a distant second to My Kathleen as the odds-on favorite in a maiden special weight race going 3 1/2 furlongs before he romped in a similar race in his most recent start Aug. 29. The 65 Beyer Speed Figure he received for his 8 1/2-length win stands out, and he likely will be heavily favored again with leading rider Rico Walcott retaining the mount.
Considering that he hasn’t run a poor race, it is a bit surprising to see him in for a price for the first time, however.
KEY CONTENDERS
Macho North (Last 3 Beyers: 65-34-28)
◗ He is the speed of the speed, and he ran okay the only previous time he went around two turns in the Edmonton Juvenile.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years, Tracy has a 30 percent strike rate with juveniles running at Northlands. The number swells to 41 percent with Walcott was riding.
Desparado Dancer (Last 3 Beyers: 33-11-0)
◗ He is trending in the right direction, and the shape of the race could work in his favor.
Credits Good (Last 3 Beyers: 42-37-44)
◗ Trained by Craig Smith, he will appreciate the class relief after being disqualified from fourth to fifth in the $50,000 Birdcatcher on Sept. 5.
Imageofperfection (Beyers: 37-41)
◗ Trained by Shelley Brown, she led all the way when she debuted in a maiden special weight race for 2-year-old fillies Aug. 14 at Assiniboia Downs and then set the pace before tiring to finish fourth when she was favored against males in the $25,000 Winnipeg Futurity on Sept. 6.