Sixthirtyjoe faces tough invader

EDMONTON, Alberta - Sixthirtyjoe, Alberta's reigning horse of the year, and Kalfaari, the top older horse at Assiniboia Downs, are the 120-pound co-highweights here in Saturday's one-mile Spangled Jimmy.

Sixthirtyjoe lost his first four starts this year, but returned to winning form in the Journal Handicap here two weeks ago, just in time to deal with the challenge of Winnipeg's Kalfaari, who has won six straight going back to last season.

Kalfaari, a 6-year-old who will be ridden by Sean Evans, has not lost since the fall of 2001 when he ventured to Vancouver for the Premier's and finished last of seven.

This will be only the second race away from his home track for Kalfaari, who oddly enough is a British Columbia-bred.

Sixthirtyjoe failed to defend his 2002 titles in the Teeworth and the Herald Gold Plate at Stampede this spring but rebounded to win the Journal by 3 1/2 lengths in the mud under his career-long partner, Real Simard.

Sixthirtyjoe drew post 6, while Kalfaari, who is trained by Clint Willson, will leave from the outside in the field of eight.

Their opponents include former Vancouver campaigner Eternal Secrecy, who won the Teeworth at this distance, and They Call Me Cody, the winner of the Herald Gold Plate.

Eternal Secrecy, who may set the pace, breaks from post 4.

The Spangled Jimmy has another invader in Vancouver's King Jeremy, who finished second to Sixthirtyjoe in the Journal in his first Alberta appearance.