They'll have to catch Boldanzar

CALGARY, Alberta - Boldanzar heads a field of nine older runners in Saturday's featured eighth race.

Boldanzar sports strong credentials over this course and at the four-furlong distance, and trainer Yves Trudel has enlisted the services of Quincy Welch in this $28,000 claimer.

Welch, who captured the meet riding title here last spring despite missing the first month of action, will break the Alberta-bred Bold Laddie gelding from post 4.

Boldanzar, 6, has excellent early foot and is very game on the lead. Welch guided him to a pair of victories last season, and in both wins Boldanzar contested the early pace.

His most recent workout, a 47.20 half-mile last Saturday morning, the third-best of 63 moves at the distance, has Boldanzar sitting on go for his seasonal debut.

Intore, a quick California-bred, drew the rail and is the leading candidate to test Boldanzar in the run to the turn. A 5-year-old gelding claimed for $17,500 by trainer Roger Walker on the final weekend of the 2003 Alberta season, Intore has trained strongly all spring, including a bullet 47 half-mile move March 22.

Racing secretary Barry McGrath was pleasantly surprised by the number of entries for Saturday's card. A total of 76 runners populate the nine races, with full fields the order of the day.

A conditioned allowance for 3-year-olds overfilled with 11 entrants, and McGrath took the opportunity to slot it as the fifth race - one of two superfectas on the card.

The field of 10 includes the stakes-placed Fantazmic and Ozzie's J J, but the one to catch is Weekend Willie, trained by Stuart Simon.

Weekend Willie took five starts to win his maiden but is extremely quick leaving the gate and Simon traditionally enjoys a strong start to this spring meet.