Mootoo yet to deliver as favorite

A beaten favorite in his last two starts, Mootoo will try and make amends in the feature race at Northlands Park on Wednesday. The first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds up going six-furlongs drew nine horses and goes as the seventh race.

Also on the 11-race card is the 770-yard $21,870 Cross Country Classic for Quarter Horses, which goes as the last race.

Trained by Ron Grieves, Mootoo finished a close second as the favorite in a first-level allowance at 6 1/2 furlongs on June 21. He was sent off as the odds-on choice as the main part of an entry when he got beat by 5 3/4 lengths in a one-mile race for the same condition on July 22. A stalker, Mootoo should have an honest pace to work with, but he drew post 9 and jockey Rickey Walcott will have to avoid getting hung out to dry going into the first turn.

Notsosweet, trained by Craig Smith, appears to have a bright future and could be tough to handle if he continues to progress. He has started only twice and both times he made a strong impression. He beat next-out winner Vinnie Barbereno when he debuted in a maiden special weight race and then forced the pace before tiring to finish second in a first-level allowance on July 18.