Top filly honors up for grabs

EDMONTON, Alberta - The region's top 2-year-old filly will be decided when Bears Little Angel and Classa Red Wine head a field of nine in Saturday's $40,000 Freedom of the City at one mile.

Bears Little Angel appears to have an edge on Classa Red Wine after beating him by 4 1/2 lengths in the restricted Sturgeon River three weeks ago.

Saturday's distance, the farthest the juvenile fillies have gone this year, should be another advantage for Bears Little Angel. In earlier stakes, Bears Little Angel had a second in the Bird of Pay and a third in the Sales.

Classa Red Wine's resume includes stakes victories in the Princess Margaret and the Sales, in which he defeated Bears Little Angel by more than three lengths.

The interests of She's a Bombshell, winner of the Jack Diamond Futurity at Hastings, chose not to make the trip east.

Allourwishes, who will make the trip from Saskatoon, has not finished worse than third. She has two victories, including the Woodland Heritage Stakes, and finished second in the Prairie Lily.

Trainer Rod Haynes and owners Calmar Stables and Ranch, who won the Freedom of the City inaugural last year with Raylene, will aim to repeat with the entry Kentucky-breds Madlyn Elise and Speedfast.

Rick Hedge will send out an uncoupled pair in Weekend Ceilidh and Waikoloa, who has won for $15,000 and $10,000.

Florida-bred Serve Again, who won for $20,000, and Kentucky-bred This Crime Pays complete the field.