Northlands Park: Senor Rojo wins with speed to spare

EDMONTON, Alberta - Senor Rojo, ($5.70) came from just off the pace to win the $75,000 Speed to Spare at Northlands Park on Saturday. The Speed to Spare was one of three stakes supporting the Grade 3, $300,000 Canadian Derby.

With Richard Hamel aboard, Senor Rojo raced along the rail for most of the 1 3/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up. Hamel moved him off the rail to make his bid at the top of the stretch and by midstretch he collared Against the Tide who had set the pace. After getting past Against the Tide he held off the late move of Andiotis. The final margin was a length and a quarter.

Footprint was sent off as a slight favorite but after forcing the early pace he tired to finish fourth. According to the stewards, he bled.

“He settled real nice for me and fell right off the bit for me,” said Hamel. “He is so good right now that I can put him pretty much where I want to. When I swung him out I knew I wasn’t going to have any problem”

“That was a nice ride by Richard and that is a pretty nice horse he was riding,” said trainer Dave Forster.

The final time was 2:22.80.

City of Edmonton: Notoriously clearly best

In the $75,000 City of Edmonton Distaff for fillies and mares Notoriously overcame a slow start to beat heavily favored Summer Song by 2 3/4 lengths. Breaking a step slow with Tony Maragh aboard, Notoriously quickly recovered and moved up to become part of a three-horse duel with Alywn and Summer Song. With Notoriously along the rail and Summer Song going three-wide, the three horses battled through fractions of 24. 40 and 47.40 in the mile and a sixteenth race. Alywn dropped out after six furlongs in 1:12.60 and Notoriously gradually drew away from Summer Song to post a final time of 1:46.20 Miss Victoriana rallied from last to finish third.

Notoriously paid $6.10 as the second choice in the wagering.

“I wasn’t worried when she didn’t break that sharply,” said Maragh. “Once she was close to them I knew they weren’t going to beat her.”

Notoriously is trained by Rod Cone. Last year on the Canadian Derby day Maragh rode Notoriously to a victory in the Sonoma for 3-year-old fillies.

Sonoma: Kalambaka Queen pays $29

The $50,000 Sonoma went to longshot Kalambaka Queen, who paid $29.70 for her one-length win over 14-1 Stoopendous Diva. Maegans Princesses finished third. With heavily favored Belle Evangeline finishing fifth there were big prices for the $2 exacta, $626.40; triactor, $1457.70 ;and superfecta , $10,613.15.

Kalambaka Queen is trained by Pam McDougall and was ridden by Ruben Lara.

The final time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:48.00