Northlands: Gutierrez to sign autographs Friday, ride in Spangled Jimmy on Saturday

Jockey Mario Gutierrez, who rode I’ll Have Another to wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, will be at Northlands Park this weekend. Gutierrez will meet and greet fans for an autograph signing session on Friday night. Saturday, he will ride Commander in the $50,000 Spangled Jimmy. Commander figures to be a solid favorite in the one-mile race for 3-year-olds and up.

Fans will be able meet with Gutierrez on the tarmac Friday beginning at 8 p.m.

Friday’s feature is a second-level allowance race for fillies and mares that drew nine horses and goes as race 7 on the nine-race card. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint also has a $30,000 claiming option available. It appears to be a wide-open event.

River City Cat is looking to get back on track for trainer Rod Cone. She was a sharp horse at the beginning of the meet, winning a $22,000 claiming race May 16 and coming right back to upset a $40,000 optional race June 8. Her backers were rewarded with a $26 mutuel. Both races were at six furlongs

She ran another solid race when she finished third in a $40,000 optional race going 6 1/2 furlongs June 24, but didn’t maintain her form in her latest race, finishing fifth in similar race July 6.

Ruben Lara rides River City Cat.

Maegans Princesses finished third when she was favored in River City Cat’s win June 8 and will be making her first start since then. Trained by Greg Tracy, Maegans Princesses has speed and should put it to good use breaking from post 3.

There is plenty of potential speed in field, and if the expected duel develops it should help Peaknatacat, who can stalk and is cutting back to a sprint. Trained by Robert Macdonald, who has won half of his 14 starts at the meet, Peaknatacat rallied to finish second in a one-mile $22,000 claiming race July 7. In her only sprint at the meet she won a six-furlong $22,000 claiming race in her first start of the year May 30.

Salsa Express finished a couple of lengths behind Peaknatacat in her latest race and won’t mind the move to a distance at which she has compiled a solid 4-2-1 record from 8 starts. She can also stalk, and figures to save a lot of ground leaving from the rail slot.

Honorable Lady is coming off a third-place finish in the $30,000 Canada Day Stakes, a one-mile race at Assiniboia Downs July 1.