Mad
Flatter Scores Repeat in Spend a Buck Handicap (G3) at Calder
Bonnie Heath Farm’s 6-year-old homebred horse Mad Flatter
successfully defended his crown in the $100,000 Spend a Buck Handicap (G3) at
Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday at the Festival of the Sun.
Chasing him home, for the second consecutive year, was Mambo Meister, who
had won the race in 2009.
Ridden by jockey Jon Court for trainer Jeff Thornbury, Mad Flatter
completed the mile and a sixteenth in 1:46.07 and paid $7.40, $3.00, and $3.00
(prices OK). Mambo Meister, the favorite in the race, was one length
behind and paid $2.20 and $2.10. It was 5 ¼ lengths back to Stimulus Plan
in third, returning $6.00 to show.
Winning
owner/breeder’s quotes:
Bonnie
Heath— “He obviously loves this
racetrack. We were right here 364 days ago (after winning Spend a Buck). We
went on to the Breeders’ Cup (Dirt Mile). It was a once in a lifetime
opportunity for this horse, so we took the chance, but he stumbled at the start
and never got in it. Jon (Court) didn’t push him after they were out of it.
We’ve had a hard time getting the right races for him this year until now. The
($150,000) Carl Rose (Handicap) is coming up here next month (Nov. 12) and is
an option, but we’ll have to talk to Jeffrey (Thornbury) before deciding where
to go from here.”
Winning
jockey’s quotes:
Jon
Court – “When Mr. Thornbury and I
discussed the race, we felt that we would run a similar race as we did last
year. We weren’t far from the lead and the speed came back to us like we
thought it would. When this horse brings his ‘A’ game he’s very tough to
beat and he seems to excel even more on this track. I’m always happy to
have the opportunity to ride a horse of this caliber.”
Oligarch
Goes Gate to Wire to Win Tropical Park Derby
Caroni Stable’s 3-year-old colt Oligarch won the $73,600 Tropical
Park Derby in gate to wire fashion at Calder Casino & Race Course’s Festival
of the Sun on Saturday for trainer Rodolfo Garcia. Daniel Centeno was
the winning jockey.
Oligarch took the lead early in the 1 1/8 miles turf race and
never gave up the position, completing the nine panels in 1:53.64 over a course
listed as “yielding.” He held off a late challenge from Star of Sarava,
defeating that one by a head. Bringbackthemagic was another length back
in third. The even-money favorite, Manicero, finished fourth.
At the mutuel windows, Oligarch paid $18.80, $7.80, and $5.00.
Star of Sarava paid $3.80 and $3.20. Bringbackthemagic returned
$4.80 to show.
Winning
trainer’s quotes:
Rodolfo Garcia — “This
didn’t surprise me at all, I felt very confident going into this race.
Going a mile and an eighth with a horse that likes to go to the lead, you
can set an easier pace. When I saw 51 and one (51 1/5 seconds for the
half-mile), even over the yielding course, I knew we were in business
today. I don’t know what’s next yet…I’ll look at the options.”
Winning
jockey’s quotes:
Daniel
Centeno – “When this horse ran in the
Needles Stakes last time out (third on Sept. 17), he hadn’t run in two months
and he wasn’t 100% fit. He set a faster pace that day, too, and got
tired. Today he was a fitter horse and I was able to get him on the lead
running comfortably.”
Awesome
Belle Wins My Dear Girl for Jacks or Better Farm
Jacks or Better Farm’s homebred 2-year-old filly Awesome Belle was
the 7 ½ lengths runaway winner of the $300,000 My Dear Girl Division of the
Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder Casino & Race Course’s Festival of the
Sun on Saturday. Jockey Luis Jurado was aboard for the victory for
trainer Stanley Gold.
Awesome Belle set the entire pace in the 1 1/16 miles contest,
completing the distance in 1:47.46. Macanuda finished second as Redbud
Road – a stablemate of Awesome Belle and winner of the Desert Vixen Division of
the Florida Stallion Stakes in August – came in third.
Awesome Belle paid $8.80, $5.00, and $4.00. Macanuda
returned $8.40 and $5.00, while Redbud Road paid $2.80 to show. The
favorite, Queen Drama, finished sixth in the field of eight.
Winning
trainer’s quotes:
Stanley Gold— “She
(Awesome Belle) kept finding trouble in her races (Florida Stallion Stakes)
until today. We put the blinkers on her and she went to the front. No trouble
today. We’ve always thought she was a good filly.”
(Note:
Asked about the Breeders’ Cup, owner Fred Brei said, “We’ll think about it for
a week and make a decision then.”)
Winning
jockey’s quotes:
Luis
Jurado – “I knew we had speed, but I wanted
to see if anyone else went to the lead first. They didn’t, so I let her
take the lead. I was just surprised that the others left us alone up
front. On the backstretch, I took another hold of her and slowed the pace
down even more and that left me with a lot of horse for the stretch run.
Near the quarter pole, I couldn’t wait any more and she exploded when I let her
run.”
Fort Loudon Completes Sweep of Florida Stallion Stakes
Three
Consecutive Series Sweeps for Jacks or Better Farm and Trainer Stanley Gold
Jacks or Better Farm’s homebred 2-year-old colt Fort Loudon won
the $300,000 In Reality Division of the Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder
Casino & Race Course on Saturday during the Festival of the Sun,
giving the owner/breeder and trainer Stanley Gold an unprecedented third sweep
of the prestigious series the last three years.
The team swept the filly series in 2010 with Awesome Feather, who
went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the Eclipse Award for her
division. In 2009, they sent out Jackson Bend to complete the sweep.
In a very good season this year, their fillies Redbud Road and Awesome
Belle each won divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes; Awesome Belle winning
the $300,000 My Dear Girl one race before Fort Loudon won the In Reality on
Saturday.
Jockey Luis Jurado has ridden Fort Loudon to each of his Florida
Stallion Stakes victories this year. Sent off as the favorite, Fort
Loudon defeated Twin by 2 ½ lengths and covered the mile and a sixteenth in
1:48.29. The race marked Fort Loudon’s first attempt at two turns.
Sarava’s Dancer, who set the early pace with Fort Loudon not far behind,
finished third.
Fort Loudon returned $6.00, $4.40, and $3.20 to his backers.
Twin was a longshot and paid $23.60 and $6.80. Sarava’s Dancer paid $4.20
to show.
Winning
trainer’s quotes:
Stanley Gold — “I
guess this is the icing on the cake. I thought he could do it (sweep). I need
to ask Luis (Jurado) what he thought. It looked like he hesitated while he was
alongside the other horse in the upper stretch before he went on and drew off.
I feel so fortunate to have had these nice horses the last few years.”
Fred
Brei (owner-breeder), when asked about
the Breeders’ Cup – “We’ll see how they come back, but if they (Awesome Belle
& Fort Loudon) come back okay, we’ll probably go, and Redbud Road has shown
she can really scoot. They have that new sprint race for 2-year-olds ($500,000
Juvenile Sprint), so she could possibly go, too.”
Winning
jockey’s quotes:
Luis
Jurado – “When you have the best horse in
the race, you can do anything you want to. I knew Cornelio Velasquez with
Sarava’s Dancer would try to steal the race up front and I couldn’t let them do
that, so I kept my horse just a little off of him and saved some for the stretch.
This horse is the real deal.”
Louvakhova
Makes North American Debut
Winning
One in Frances A. Genter Stakes
Michel Jean Zerolo’s
3-year-old filly Louvakhova was bred in Kentucky but made the first six starts
of her career in France and made her North American racing debut at Calder
Casino & Race Course in the Frances A. Genter Stakes on Festival of the
Sun day on Saturday. The debut was a winning one as she cruised to a
4 ¼ lengths victory in the one-mile turf test.
Ridden by leading jockey Luis Saez for trainer Marty Wolfson,
Louvakhova covered the distance in 1:38.31, defeating Callmethesqueeze, the
post time favorite. Prize Informant finished third. The winner paid
$5.40, $3.40, and $2.80. Callmethesqueeze returned $2.80 and $2.40, while
Prize Informant paid $4.80 to show.
Winning
trainer’s quotes:
Marty Wolfson— “She had
no trouble acclimating. She only got here two weeks ago, but pretty soon after
I thought she’d win this race. We’ll probably have to ship around for her next
spot.”
Winning
jockey’s quotes:
Luis Saez – “Mr. Wolfson told me to get some good position early in
the race and don’t be afraid to let her run when she wants to. She’s a
classy filly and very easy to ride…when I let her go, she was full of run and
had a lot left at the wire.”