Rycroft duo should complement each other in Edmonton Juvenile

Trainer Tim Rycroft packs a strong one-two punch with Feetdontfailmenow and Artie in the Park in the $50,000 Edmonton Juvenile at Northlands Park on Saturday. Feetdontfailmenow figures to be heard from first, and Artie in the Park has a good chance of picking up the pieces late in the six-furlong sprint for 2-year-old colts and geldings that drew six horses.

The speedy Feetdontfailmenow drew the rail, and there isn’t much doubt that jockey Jorge Espitia will try to put him on the lead. He broke sharply with Ismael Mosqueira aboard when he won his debut going 3 1/2 furlongs in a quickly run maiden special weight race June 20. The 71 Beyer Speed Figure he received is easily the best figure in the field.

Mosqueira sticks with Artie in the Park, who closed with a rush to finish second behind Blue Dancer in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race June 28.

Rycroft is leaning toward Artie in the Park.

“Feetdontfailmenow could be tough to get past, but that was a pretty impressive debut by Artie in the Park,” said Rycroft. “He really kicked it into gear once he figured it out.”

The Greg Tracy-trained Blue Dancer and Centrefire look like the main threats.

KEY CONTENDERS

Artie in the Park (Last Beyer: 38)

◗ He was very green early, but he made up almost nine lengths in the stretch in his debut. His full brother, Artie’s Brother, finished second in the 2013 Edmonton Juvenile. With help from his stablemate, he should have a fast and contested pace to work with.

Feetdontfailmenow (Last Beyer: 71)

◗ He’s fast, and as a full brother to Northlands Oaks winner Canaveral Leader, he should be able to carry his exceptional speed at least six furlongs.

Blue Dancer (Last Beyer: 41)

◗ The son of Bluegrass Cat dueled through fast interior fractions and had just enough left to hold off Artie in the Park by a length in his only start. According to DRF’s Formulator, over the past five years, Tracy has a 28 percent strike rate with 2-year-olds making their second start in a non-graded stakes race at Northlands.

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Centrefire (Last Beyer: 14)

◗ He got off to a poor start when he debuted in a maiden special weight race July 12 and figures to move forward with a race behind him.

◗ His half-sister Tell Me No Lies has won six stakes races for Tracy, so the pedigree is certainly there.

Purple Heaven (Last Beyer: 35)

◗ Trained by Twylla Bensmiller, he forced the issue early and held on well to finish fourth in Blue Dancer’s Win.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Over the past five years, Bensmiller has won with 17 percent of her 2-year-old starters at Northlands. Centrefire is the first juvenile she has started in a stakes race at Northlands since 2011, though.