VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Edgar Mendoza appears to have a stranglehold on the $100,000 Jack Diamond Futurity on Saturday at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong dash for British Columbia-bred or -sired 2-year-old colts and geldings shares the spotlight with the $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity for fillies. The Jack Diamond drew eight horses, but it looks like a battle between the Mendoza-trained Legacy Square and Bak to Liberty. Legacy Square will be favored. After all, the two-time stakes winner is a neck away from being undefeated, and in all three of his races he finished in front of Bak to Liberty. His only loss came in the $50,000 CTHS Sales Stakes on Aug. 22, and he got the worst of it as he went four wide around the first turn and three wide going into the stretch turn while the winner, Buck in Command, was cruising on his own up front. The son of Lent was game in defeat, though. Bak to Liberty was the runner-up to Legacy Square in the $50,000 Spaghetti Mouse and $50,000 B.C. Cup Nursery prior to finishing third in the Sales Stakes. :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! The futurities were scheduled for last Saturday, but due to poor air quality in Vancouver, racing was canceled at Hastings. Mendoza sent Legacy Square and Bak to Liberty out for a bullet five-furlong work in company in 58.40 seconds on Sept. 14 with the idea they would be running last week. “I don’t think it’s a problem the race was moved a week later,” Mendoza said. “They worked a lot faster than I expected, so it gives them a bit more time. I just hope they have good trips.” Bak to Liberty will be wearing blinkers for the first time, and Mendoza is expecting the son of Baaken to be more focused. He will break from the outside post with Amadeo Perez up. Legacy Square will leave from post 2 with Efrain Hernandez aboard. Perez has an excellent chance of winning Sadie Diamond Futurity with Above Average, who has good speed and will use it breaking from the rail. Trained by Mark Cloutier, Above Average is coming off a 12 1/4-length romp in a $20,000 maiden claimer in her second start Aug. 13. The homebred daughter of Ralis has had four solid interim works and appears primed for another strong effort. She is out of the multiple stakes winner Ole’s Miss, who won the $50,000 Boulevard Casino in her second start. Air Force could be the main threat. Trained by Keith Petersen, the daughter of Counterforce had a rough trip when she finished fifth to the Cloutier-trained Loveaboveandbeyond in the $50,000 CTHS Sales Stakes on Aug. 22. However, she made no mistakes when she took them all the way in a $50,000 optional maiden claimer on Sept. 17. Air Force will break from post 2 with Antonio Reyes riding. She also has speed, which could help Freestyle, who rallied to finish second in her debut in a $50,000 optional maiden claimer Aug. 13. The homebred daughter of Sungold could take a big step forward for trainer Barbara Heads. The past five years, Heads has a 33 percent strike rate with second-time-starting juveniles. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.