Tracy takes three cracks at City of Leduc

Juveniles get their first crack at stakes money Sunday at Century Mile in the $50,000 City of Leduc. Trainer Greg Tracy has the race surrounded with three of the seven horses entered in the 5 1/2-furlong dash, which goes as race 6 on a seven-race card that begins at 1:45 p.m. Mountain.

The Tracy-trained Shanghai Mike will likely be favored. After all, he was an easy 4 3/4-length winner with Rico Walcott riding in his only start, which came in a maiden race at Century Mile. Walcott retains the mount, and the past five years he has won with 39 percent of his mounts from Tracy in 2-year-old stakes races.

A Kentucky-bred son of Shanghai Bobby, Shanghai Mike is a half-brother to Bourbonize, who won six races for earnings of $219,423. One of his wins came in the $100,000 Northern Spur at Oaklawn Park.

Shanghai Mike drew post 5.

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Pearl of Knowledge, also trained by Tracy, was an easy winner in her only start, and the 63 Beyer Speed Figure she received for her 3 1/2-length victory going five furlongs in a maiden special weight race for horses bred in Alberta is the top Beyer earned by a 2-year-old at Century Mile.

The daughter of Cape Canaveral will break from post 6 with Dan Nelson retaining the mount.

“They can both run but, I think [Shanghai Mike] is a bit more advanced,” Tracy said. “He spent the winter in Florida, where he received a solid foundation. The non-starter can run a bit, too. They run maiden races every week here, so he’s in the race for a reason.”

Tracy was referring to Nipawin. A Florida-bred gelding by Gone Astray, Nipawin worked a bullet three furlongs out of the gate July 13 and came back with a strong five-furlong move in 1:01.80 on July 21.

Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Red Smith will be represented by Maskwecis, who was the runner-up to Pearl of Knowledge in his only start.

City Steel must behave

Trainer Dave Milburn is hoping City Steel behaves himself in the gate when he runs in a $16,000 claimer that headlines the eight-race card Sunday at Hastings. The 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up drew eight horses and goes as race 5 on a program that begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific

City Steel won both of his starts at Hastings this year, and his latest, on June 8, came at the expense of next-out winner The All Button at the same level and distance as Sunday’s race.

But City Steel was scratched after he sat down in the starting gate in a $25,000 claimer on July 7.

“He has a history of acting up in the gate, but as a 9-year-old I thought he was over it,” Milburn said.

If City Steel does make it out of the gate, he figures to get a nice trip from a forward position with Enrique Gonzalez riding.

Highway Boss, second in the race City Steel scratched out of, will be trying for his first win since he romped in the slop in the 2017 $50,000 S.W. Randall Plate.