North With Will back with own kind

EDMONTON, Alberta - North With Will looks for her second victory of the year in an optional $32,000 claimer at 6 1/2 furlongs here Saturday, the penultimate day of the 2006 Northlands meet.

North With Will, a 3-year-old filly owned by Reid Racing Stable, has had some moderate success in the allowance ranks this season. After getting her first win of 2006 over a muddy track against $17,500 claimers, North With Will performed admirably in her next two starts, finishing third and second in allowance and optional claiming company.

Trainer Rod Heggie saw enough in North With Will to give her a shot at the $50,000 Alberta Oaks on Alberta Fall Classic Day. Sent off at better than 18-1, North With Will finished seventh, nearly 25 lengths behind the winner.

North With Will returns here against five rivals and is in the hands of Jake Barton, who has been riding brilliantly all year but especially during the last few months of the season.

Jockeys Rickey Walcott and Quincy Welch, who are in a heated duel for the riding title at the meeting, each has a mount worthy of consideration in Saturday's feature.

Walcott is scheduled to ride Ribbon Creek for trainer Janet Wig. Ribbon Creek most recently finished second by a nose in a first-level allowance. Welch is aboard Southview Sara, who disappointed as the favorite in her last outing and finished fourth in the Oaks.