Moon Dude most intriguing horse on four-stakes card

Killin Me Smalls figures to be a handful in the Don Getty Handicap for 3-year-olds and up at Northlands Park on Saturday. Curlish Figure also looks like a standout in the Duchess of York for fillies and mares. However, the most intriguing horse entered on the 11-race card is Moon Dude, who will be a heavily favored to win the Edmonton Juvenile. The four-stakes card also includes the Princess Margaret for 2-year-old fillies.

Each of the stakes is worth $50,000. The Edmonton Juvenile (race 2) and the Princess Margaret (race 4) are at six furlongs, and the Duchess of York (race 9) and Don Getty (race 10) will be run at 1 1/16 miles.

Moon Dude fell under the radar when he paid $31.50 for winning his debut by 11 1/2 lengths on July 7. The 66 Beyer Speed Figure he earned for his win in the 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race ties Golden Cup for the best figure at the distance at Northlands for a 2-year-old since 2002.

Trainer Ron Scott wasn’t surprised by the strong performance.

“I didn’t think he would win by that large of a margin, but we’ve been pretty excited about him for a while,” he said. “Since his first work, he’s blown away every horse I’ve put him up against.”

The homebred son of Cape Canaveral is owned by Byron and Rose Kluth. Scott trained the dam of Moon Dude, Saint’s Echo, for the Kluths.

Saint’s Echo won seven races and was retired after she finished fourth in her first start as a 5-year-old in 2011.

“I wanted to keep racing her, but they wanted to breed her, and it turned out to be the right call,” said Scott. “Moon Dude is her second foal, and the first one could run a bit, too.”

He was referring to the 3-year-old Captain Will, who has won couple of races and was the runner-up for the same connections n the $50,000 Alberta Premier’s Futurity last year.

Moon Dude will break from post 3 in the six-horse field. Dane Nelson retains the mount.

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◗ Killin Me Smalls dueled with Blue Dancer through wicked fractions and was still able to win the 1 1/16-mile, $50,000 Fred Jones on July 8. Blue Dancer has been entered in the Don Getty, but according to trainer Greg Tracy, he probably won’t start.

“He’s had enough of Killin Me Smalls,” said Tracy. “It isn’t certain, but we’re looking at an easier spot for him.”

Without Blue Dancer in the field, Killin Me Smalls figures to dominate the Don Getty. Trained by Ernie Keller, the 7-year-old son of Marcavelly is the class of the field with wins in the Grade 3 Premiers at Hastings in 2015-16.

◗ Curlish Figure is clearly the one to beat in the Duchess of York. She took the lead at the top of the stretch in the $75,000 Shirley Vargo on July 8, and leading rider Rico Walcott had her well in hand during the final stages of the 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares. It was her first start at Northlands and for trainer Tim Rycroft, who is expecting another strong performance from the 5-year-old daughter of Curlin.

“She’s had a race over the track, and Rico got to know her a bit,” said Rycroft. “The only glitch is that she kicked the bottom stall chain the other day, and I want to make sure no problems develop from the incident. She looks fine so far though.”

◗ Take your pick between the Rycroft-trained I Miss Back When and the Tracy-trained Street Made in the Princess Margaret.

Each won her debut for fun, and the trainers have dominated the juvenile stakes races at Northlands over the past five years. Tracy has won with 31 percent of his starters in such races, and Rycroft has won at a 27 percent clip.