Walcott opts for Inca Beauty in Wednesday feature

It is tough to separate the eight fillies and mares running in a $25,000 optional-claiming race that will serve as Wednesday’s feature at Northlands Park. With that in mind, one of the first things to focus on is which horse leading jockey Rico Walcott is riding in the six-furlong sprint that goes as the eighth race.

For the second straight year, Walcott is dominating the jockeys’ standings at Northlands, and he certainly will enhance the chances of Inca Beauty, who is coming off a distant second-place finish behind She’s a Go Girl in a similar race July 11.

KEY CONTENDERS

INCA BEAUTY (Last 3 Beyers: 49-54-58)

◗ Trained by Floyd Arthur, Inca Beauty is looking for her first win since she scored a huge upset at 29-1 in a $20,000 claiming race on Polytrack at Woodbine on May 12, 2013.

◗ She has won nine races in total, eight on dirt and six at Northlands. She also has an excellent 5-0-0 record from seven starts at the distance.

◗ A 7-year-old mare, Inca Beauty could be ready for a peak performance in her third start this year. The last time she won at Northlands, in a $30,000 claiming race in 2012, she was ridden by Walcott.

◗ DRF Formulator Fact: Over the past two years, Walcott has won with 20 percent of his mounts for Arthur at Northlands.

MOMMA’S GONE WILD (Last 3 Beyers: 66-62-63)

◗ Trained by Rod Cone, she is clearly the speed of the speed and could be tough to catch if she can get away on her own.

SALSA EXPRESS (Last 3 Beyers: 27-62-63)

◗ It is hard not to like this 9-year-old mare, who has compiled a 21-17-11 record from 59 starts over a career that started in Boise, Idaho, in 2008.

◗ An eight-time winner at the distance, she is moving back to a sprint following an uncharacteristicly dull effort going 1 1/16 miles at this level July 19. According to DRF’s Formulator, over the past five years, her trainer, Ernie Keller, has a 17 percent strike rate with horses moving from a route to a sprint.

DIVERGENT VIEW (Last 3 Beyers: 65-52-67)

◗ The only 3-year-old filly in the field owns the best last-race Beyer Speed Figure and figures to get a nice trip sitting not too far off Momma’s Gone Wild.

◗ She is trained by Greg Tracy, who is winning with 41 percent of his starters at the meet.