Itsallgoodman has never been beaten running against Alberta-breds, and he will be returning to those ranks for the first time this year during the $350,000 Alberta Breeders’ Fall Classic series Saturday at Century Mile.
Itsallgoodman, who is the reigning champion Alberta-bred, goes in the $50,000 Beaufort. It’s one of seven divisional stakes on the closing-day card. Each is restricted to horses bred in Alberta, Canada. First post is 3:45 p.m. Mountain.
Itsallgoodman was a winner on this card a year ago, when he captured the Premier Futurity by more than eight lengths. He also won his maiden over Alberta-breds at Century Mile and captured the restricted CTHS Sale Futurity at Century Downs.
The campaign helped him notch three championship titles from the Alberta division of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society in 2023 – 2-year-old colt, sprinter, and Alberta-bred. Now, Itsallgoodman is looking for his first win at 3 in the Beaufort, which is for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. He’s had some close calls in stakes this year, including a runner-up finish in the Count Lathum and a fourth-place finish in the Manitoba Derby.
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“He has been running competitive,” said Gonzalo Anderson, who trains Itsallgoodman for Curtis Landry. “He looks more like a sprinter, like most of the races we won last year, and this year, the target was to see how far we can get with him.”
Itsallgoodman raced over 1 1/16 miles in the Count Lathum and over 1 1/8 miles in the Manitoba Derby. He comes into the Beaufort off an 11th-place finish in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 24 at Century Mile.
“He’s a good breaker, breaks so good out of the gate,” Anderson said. “Last time, they just put pressure on him pretty quick leaving there and he didn’t relax. We went quick fractions with him. We didn’t want to do that.
“He came back good after the race. Now he’ll go against Alberta-breds. He’s a very talented horse. He wants to go a little shorter, but you know, all the time with 3-year-olds, you want to try them. He’s run pretty good at the mile and a sixteenth, when he ran that second [in the Count Latham], and we decided to go to the [Manitoba Derby]. The track was deep. He made a beautiful move, looked like he was just going to get there, and he got a little tired. That’s why we tried him back in the Canadian Derby.”
Itsallgoodman will break from post 4 in the field of four on Saturday.
“We are just going to try to relax,” Anderson said. “J J’s Caper, if he wants to go to the lead, we’ll just sit behind him. If we get the lead with slow fractions, we’ll just try to slow them down and make a move later on.”
Distaff Handicap
Big Hug is the 126-pound highweight in the $50,000 Distaff Handicap, which is for fillies and mares over 1 1/16 miles. She is part of a field of four that includes the Anderson-trained Dance Shoes.
Both runners are Alberta-bred champions. Dance Shoes was the 2022 Alberta horse of the year, while Big Hug was the 2022 champion 2-year-old filly and 2023 champion 3-year-old filly.
Big Hug is back in the Alberta-bred ranks after running third last out in the Northlands Handicap won by the win machine Infinite Patience on Aug. 24 at Century Mile.
“She ran a pretty good race except she didn’t switch leads coming all the way down the lane,” said Rick Hedge, who trains Big Hug. “At the end, when she finally switched leads, she gained a half-length in the last three jumps. She ran good.”
Big Hug is racing over a track on which she’s 9 for 15.
“She’s athletic, honest, and durable,” Hedge said. “And she suits her name. She always wants a hug.”
Big Hug will start from post 3.
“I’d like to just be a stalker,” Hedge said.
Dance Shoes set the pace last out when winning an optional-claiming race over six furlongs. She was taken out of the race by Kirk Sutherland and Anderson. Dance Shoes is 13 for 25 at Century Mile and is weighted at 122.
Alberta Breeders’
Smarty Play and Flashfordani should get good support in the $50,000 Alberta Breeders’ Handicap, which is for 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/16 miles.
Smart Play is the 126-pound highweight and the defending winner. He enters off a third-place finish in a local allowance Aug. 24.
Flashfordani was second to Smart Play two back in an allowance and finished right in front of him last out when second on Aug. 24.
◗ Jeff Fa Fa is the defending winner in the $50,000 Red Diamond Express for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs.
◗ Dare to Compare, who defeated older runners two starts ago, is a leading contender in the $50,000 Alberta Oaks.
◗ Holiday’s Again, a maiden who has placed in two stakes, is part of a field of 10 for the $50,000 Premier Futurity at six furlongs.
◗ No More Lies, a maiden winner who is stakes-placed, leads the $50,000 Sturgeon River Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
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