Space Junk likely to take speed to the front in Saturday feature

Space Junk looks capable of handling the class hike when she runs in a $35,000 optional-claiming race for 3-year-old fillies at Northlands Park on Saturday. The six-furlong sprint drew five horses and goes as race 4 on a nine-race card that begins at 1 p.m. Mountain.

Trained by a red-hot Greg Tracy, Space Junk is coming off an 8 1/2-length front-running blowout in a $12,000 claiming race for sophomore fillies going six furlongs May 16. She was under pressure while posting interior fractions of 22.96 and 46.36 seconds before she started to edge clear on the stretch turn.

She was put under strong urging by jockey Scott Williams before drawing off to win. Her final time was a quick 1:12.27. Compare that with the first-level allowance race that was held one race earlier, where the interior fractions were similar, but the final time of 1:14.03 was considerably slower, and you get the idea that Space Junk is going to be tough to beat despite the jump in class.

Plus, the 74 Beyer Speed Figure she received is 19 points higher than any of the other four horses in the field have ever posted.

“The track has speeded up lately, but she ran fast before it got fast,” Tracy said. “I liked her a lot last year, but she was always fighting shins. I think she fits with the horses she’s running against Saturday.”

Space Junk drew the inside post, and Williams likely will try to put her on the lead again.

Williams abandons Red Invader, who won a $12,000 maiden-claiming race by nine lengths May 10 at Northlands. Leading rider Rico Walcott picks up the mount on Red Invader for trainer Dale Saunders.

Riverside Value has speed, and she used it for five furlongs before tiring to finish fourth in the aforementioned first-level allowance race May 16. The Elige Bourne trainee may have bled, as she will be running on Lasix for the first time. She looks like the only horse in the field who can put any pressure on Space Junk early.

Bet On Soup, trained by Tim Rycroft, likely will move forward after making a strong middle move before tiring to finish fifth in a $30,000 optional-claiming race in her seasonal debut May 9 at Northlands. She won two races last year, including the $50,120 Sturgeon River for Alberta-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Pick a Prize completes the field.