Tiny Giant primed for peak effort

Trainer Joan Petrowski said Tiny Giant was training well this spring but might have needed a race when he made his seasonal debut in the $53,000 Journal Handicap on May 18 at Northlands Park. He ran okay, finishing fourth in the six-furlong sprint won by Killin Me Smalls. With a race behind him and a bullet five-furlong interim move in 59.60 seconds May 30, Tiny Giant could be formidable in an optional $35,000 claiming race that headlines Saturday’s eight-race card at Northlands.

The 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up drew six horses, and Tiny Giant should get a nice trip stalking what figures to be a fast and contested pace.

Bred by Petrowski, Tiny Giant closed 2014 with three-straight wins, including scores in the $56,000 Sun Sprint Championship and the restricted $48,000 Red Dial Express. His strong close to the 2014 meet earned Tiny Giant the honor of Alberta-bred horse of the year. He was also voted the top sprinter in the province.

In total, Tiny Giant has won 11 races for earnings of $309,982. His versatility has helped him work his way into the top three in 25 of his 37 starts, and leading jockey Rico Walcott should have more than one option when they break from the outside post Saturday.

The horse he will have to run down is Red Red Rose, who set the pace in the Journal before tiring to finish third.

Race 7

KEY CONTENDERS

Tiny Giant (Last 3 Beyers: 70-82-85)

◗ The classy 8-year-old should appreciate the class relief, and his versatility could give him a big edge in a race where there appears to be a plethora of speed.

Red Red Rose (74-72-84)

◗ Trained by Tim Rycroft, he is the speed of the speed and could take them a long way if he clears early leaving from post 2.

Midnite Poppa (Last 3 Beyers: 77-82-82)

◗ Trained by Jim Meyaard, it looked like he was going to win his first start this year when he burst through along the rail to take over the lead at the top of the stretch while finishing third in a $30,000 claiming race at Prairie Meadows on April 25. He could take a big step forward in his second start back, and similar to Tiny Giant, he is capable of stalking.

DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Meyaard has a 30 percent strike rate with horses making their second start following a layoff over the past five years. The figure jumps to 34 percent if they were running at Northlands.