On Manoeuvres eyes first stakes win

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - On Manoeuvres goes in search of her fourth straight victory and her first in a stakes in the $6,000 Graceful Klinchit Handicap for fillies and mares here at Marquis Downs on Saturday.

While On Manoeuvres has not won at the Graceful Klinchit's one-mile distance this year, she does have a nice stalking style that has helped her win at longer than seven furlongs twice in 2006. Other than a fifth-place outing in the Sun Life Handicap in late June, On Manoeuvres has been solid, even scoring an allowance victory on June 8.

Leading rider Tim Moccasin retains the mount.

Wisperingwhitelies and High Mezzo are both making their second starts of the meeting after arriving from Northlands Park, and should ensure a quick pace.

Wisperingwhitelies wired a field of $7,500 claimers on June 3, getting the mile in a quick 1:38.80 at Stampede Park. She won the Matron Handicap here last fall over 1 1/16 miles. But Wisperingwhitelies has run poorly in her three outings since that June 3 score, including a distant fifth-place finish in the allowance prep for this race on Aug. 3.

High Mezzo began her 2007 campaign with a pair of half-mile victories at Stampede Park just eight days apart in late May. Winless since then, High Mezzo almost stole the race on the lead against On Manoeuvres last time out but settled for second, a length back.

Picture the Answer and Brite Steel were the winner and runner-up in this race last year, but both have struggled this year with only a pair of third-place finishes to show from a combined 11 starts. Picture the Answer, daughter of the great racemare for whom this race is named, will benefit most from all of the early pace and should be flying late.