Tracy poised for big day on stakes-filled card

Trainer Greg Tracy undoubtedly will add to his impressive totals when he saddles horses in the six $50,000 stakes races at Northlands Park on Saturday. Tracy, who is winning races at a 38 percent clip at the meet, has won seven of the 10 stakes at Northlands this year, and at least three of his horses will be favored in the six stakes that make up the bulk of Saturday’s nine-race card.

Headlining the stakes festival is the Fred Jones Handicap, where the Tracy-trained Blue Dancer figures to be a slight favorite over Killin Me Smalls in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up.

Blue Dancer, the champion 3-year-old in Alberta last year, met Killin Me Smalls, the top older horse in the province in 2015, for the first time in the $48,000 Spangled Jimmy on June 18. In what turned out to be a match race, they hooked up early and were lapped onto each other until Blue Dancer pulled away in the final sixteenth to win the one-mile race by a half-length.

Blue Dancer has won nine races – eight stakes – and his only losses in 12 starts came in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Grade 3 Canadian Derby, and Grade 3 British Columbia Derby.

“He has a big heart,” said Tracy. “He just runs his guts out every time. He came out of his last race in great shape, and he’ll have to be at his best to beat Killin Me Smalls again.”

Blue Dancer drew post 5, and jockey Quincy Welch likely will put him into the race early.

Killin Me Smalls, trained by Ernie Keller, went into the Spangled Jimmy off a runner-up finish sprinting in his first start of the year just a week prior to the stakes race. In his final race last year, he won the Grade 3 Premiers at Hastings.

He drew post 4, and once again, Rico Walcott will have him in the mix early. With a route behind him and more time between races, he could move forward enough to turn the tables on Blue Dancer.

If the top pair get carried away up front, the race could set up nicely for For Cash, who won the Fred Jones for trainer Dale Greenwood last year and was the runner-up in 2014.

Count Lathum

The Count Lathum is the final prep for the Grade 3, $150,000 Canadian Derby on Aug. 20. A 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, the Count Lathum drew 10 horses and appears to be a wide-open event.

Reason for Being, trained by Tracy, romped going six furlongs in the $50,000 Western Canada on May 28 but didn’t break well and never got involved when he was heavily favored to win the one-mile Ky Alta on June 18.

“He just didn’t get out of the gate, and he didn’t like getting dirt in his face,” said Tracy. “He wasn’t slowing down in the Western Canada, so I am pretty sure he can go long.”

If he does break well, he will have to deal with other speed, most notably Hold the Giant, who forced the pace and held on well to finish second in the Ky Alta.

Hold the Giant is trained by Tim Rycroft, who also will saddle Kristofferson. Kristofferson will be looking to rebound after a dull effort in his first start as a sophomore in the Western Canada. He won the $50,000 Birdcatcher at Northlands and was the runner-up in the $75,000 Ascot Graduation at Hastings in his last two starts as a juvenile.

The likely fast and contested pace should play into the hands of Ready Intaglio and Law Master.

Trained by Amber Meyaard, Ready Intaglio came from well back to edge Hold the Giant by a head in the Ky Alta.

Law Master got away slowly in the Ky Alta and then rallied to finish fourth. The Dale Saunders trainee came back to romp in an optional $30,000 claiming race July 2 and could be peaking at the right time.

◗ The Tracy-trained Onestaratatime will be a short price to win the Northlands Oaks. The one-mile race for 3-year-old fillies is the first stakes on the program and goes as race 2.

◗ There are no standouts in the Princess Margaret, a six-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies. Last year, trainer Tim Rycroft had a banner year with his babies, winning 13 races for 2-year-olds at the meet, including six stakes. He could win the Princess Margaret with Tidal Mist, who is coming off a runner-up finish in a maiden special weight race July 2.

◗ Take your pick between the Fall At Last and Norm’s Big Bucks in the Edmonton Juvenile, a six-furlong race for 2-year-olds. Fall At Last, for Tracy, and Norm’s Big Bucks, trained by Rycroft, each romped in their debut going 3 1/2 furlongs and have trained forwardly leading up to their first try in a two-turn sprint Saturday.

◗ Hero’s Amor, trained by Rycroft, may have been too close to the hot pace in the $51,000 John Patrick. The 2015 British Columbia Oaks winner, Hero’s Amor could be dangerous at a price in the Madamoiselle Handicap for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles. Quality Lane and Truvi, the first two finishers in the John Patrick, should appreciate what will likely be a fast and contested pace. Quality Lane, trained by Joan Petrowski, also won the Northlands Park Oaks last year. Truvi, trained by Robert Kingston, is seeking her first win in a stakes.