Leading
Calder jockey Luis Saez is notably absent from Saturday’s card at Calder Casino
& Race Course as he will be traveling to Parx Racing in Philadelphia to
ride Stud El Aguila’s 3-year-old sprint star Indiano in the $250,000 Gallant
Bob Stakes for trainer Marty Wolfson on the Pennsylvania Derby Day program.
A
son of Indian Charlie, Indiano has won his last three starts at Calder, most
recently returning from a two-month layoff to win the $50,000 Eillo overnight
stakes on Sept. 5 by 2 ¼ lengths. Saez teamed up with Indiano to win the $70,000
Unbridled Stakes by 4 ¼ lengths in June and the $200,000 Carry Back Stakes (G2)
by three lengths on Summit of Speed day, July 9, before his brief
freshening.
Indiano
was bred in Kentucky and purchased for $25,000 at the Keeneland September
yearling sales almost exactly two years ago, but made and won the first five
starts of his career in Panama before coming to Wolfson at Calder early this
year.
Following
a second in an allowance race on Mar. 20, Indiano finished second to Travelin
Man in the Swale Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park in early April and fifth in the
Derby Trial (G2) trying a mile at Churchill Downs late that month.
Indiano
has been made the 9-to-5 morning-line favorite for the Gallant Bob in a field
of six 3-year-olds and a good effort could earn him a berth in the $1.5 million
Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Churchill on Sat., Nov. 5, facing Calder favorite
Big Drama, the defending winner of the Sprint and 2010 Eclipse champion for
trainer David Fawkes.