No Hesitation going long for first time

Trainer Jim Meyaard was resolute when he was asked about No Hesitation's chances in Saturday's $50,000 Ky Alta Handicap at Northlands Park, a race in which No Hesitation will be stretching out for the first time.

"We're always smarter afterward, but he sure seems like a horse that will go long," he said.

No Hesitation will probably be favored in the Ky Alta, a one-mile race for 3-year-olds that drew seven horses. He was a comfortable winner in the six-furlong Western Handicap on June 19, and was a 6 3/4-length winner over Tiny Giant in a $32,000 optional race June 6. No Hesitaton was close to the lead in both races, and Meyaard said he isn't concerned about the other possible speed in the Ky Alta.

"He has plenty of natural speed, so he can go to the front if it shapes up that way," Meyaard said. "But he rates nicely, and if someone else wants the lead, he'll be happy to give it to him."

Paseo Alegro ships in from Prairie Meadows, where he finished fifth in a $12,000 optional race June 18 in his first start on dirt. He won a maiden special weight race on turf at Gulfstream on April 3, but he wasn't much of a factor when he tried first-level allowance horses on turf at Churchill on June 6. Paseo Alegro hasn't displayed very much speed in any of his races, and he will need an honest pace to chase.