Third leg of marathon series up for grabs

Whose turn is it to win the third leg of the Northlands Park marathon series? So far there have been two different winners in the series for 3-year-olds and up that is run under starter handicap conditions, and none of the seven horses entered in the third leg, which goes as race 8 on the nine-race card, have gone the 1 5/8-mile distance. It appears to be anyone’s race.

Top Brew led from start to finish in the 1 5/16-mile first leg, but then faded badly when he set a quicker pace going 1 3/8 miles in the second edition Aug. 21. Trained by Rod Cone, Top Brew should have an easy time making it to the front, and if jockey Anthony Salgado can slow him down early, he could be tough to get past late.

Wild Young Cowboy, fifth in the first leg, took advantage of the quicker fractions to edge Wood B Nice on Aug. 21. Trained by Barry Brown, Wild Young Cowboy paid $35.40 for his upset win and will undoubtedly be a much shorter price Saturday. His only other win at the meet came in a $7,500 conditional claiming race July 7.

Trainer Floyd Arthur could have Wood B Nice set for a big effort in his second straight marathon. He made a strong late move and held the lead at the top of the stretch last time when he was stretching out after finishing third in a one-mile $7,500 claiming race Aug. 13. Wood B Nice also came back with a solid five-furlong move Sept. 2.

Hurricane Tiki, third in the second leg, and Longboat Key, second by a nose in the first, also look capable of winning.