Summit of Speed Is Sprint Day of the Year at Calder Race Course
BY GREG MELIKOV
Saturday’s Summit of Speed at Calder Race Course features seven stakes worth $1.35 million that has lured scores of sprinters from throughout the country.
Two stakes, each valued at $350,000, are designated Win and You’re in the Breeders’ Cup: The Princess Rooney and Smile Sprint handicaps. Each six-furlong race carries a $350,000 purse and attracted 13 entries.
The Princess Rooney attracted fillies and mares 3-years-old and up aiming for a spot in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.
Shippers have dominated the Grade 1, winning all prevision 10 contests. Trainer Tood Pletcher’s Hour Glass comes from Belmont where she won the Vagrancy at 6 1/2 furlongs on May 29, his fifth victory in nine starts.
Dr. Zic ran second at Woodbine on May 16 after leading at the six-furlong marker of a Grade 3 at 6 1/2 furlongs. Three of her eight triumphs were at Tampa Bay Downs, including two stakes.
Warbling, winner of the $200,000 Inside Information at Gulfstream Park in February, ships in from Churchill Downs where she ran fifth in the seven-furlong Humana Distaff in the slop on May 1 after setting the pace into the stretch.
Leading Calder’s home team is First Passage, winner of the $150,000 Azalea on last year’s Summit card, who captured the U Can Do It Handicap on June 12.
The daughter of Giant’s Causeway has won all four of her outings in stakes at the South Florida track. She’s one of six runners Marty Wolfson will saddle in three of the four graded stakes on the card.
The trainer also sends out Jessica Is Back, a veteran performer at Calder where she’s 6-5-1 in 17 races. The 6-year-old daughter of Put It Back finished sixth in the 2009 Princess Rooney.
Wolfson also entered Causeway’s Kid in the Grade 2 Smile Sprint for 3-year-olds and up hoping to gain a berth in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
The son of Giant’s Causeway has raced exclusively in South Florida, finishing second in two Calder stakes, both routes.
Likely favorite is Big Drama, a Florida-bred trained by David Fawkes, who won Calder’s Ponce Handicap by 3 3/4 lengths at the Smile distance June 12 after a 10-month layoff.
The 4-year-old son of Montbrook has taken five of six races at Calder, the last four stakes dating back to his three-race sweep of the 2008 Florida Stallion series for 2-year-olds.
His main local challenger is Mambo Meister, winner of both graded stakes staged during the meeting: the Miami Mile and Memorial Day Handicap, Grade 3s contested around two turns.
The 7-year-old How’s Your Halo is trying to win the Smile in his fourth attempt. In ’07, the son of Halo’s Image ran fourth to Mach Ride, second behind ’08 Eclipse champion Benny the Bull and fourth to Eaton’s Gift last year.
The top invader is Not for Silver exiting a rough off-the-board trip in the Maryland Sprint at Pimlico on the Preakness Day. The son of Not for Love shipped in last July for the Carry Back and romped to victory by 4 1/2 lengths.
This year’s Carry Back for 3-year-olds marks the return of D’Funnybone, one of the leading sprinters in the nation trained by Rick Dutrow. He only faces four challengers in the six- furlong dash.
The son of D’wildcat broke his maiden at Calder in his career debut 14 months ago by 7 1/4 lengths at 4 1/2 furlongs on a sloppy surface. The colt has captured five stakes, all sprints, including the Woody Stephens at seven furlongs on the Belmont Stakes Day.
The top local hope is Wolfson trainee Coffee Boy, a lightly raced son of Yonaguska that rallied for half-length score in the Unbridled Stakes on June 12 — his second win in four outings.
"Summit of Speed Is Sprint Day of the Year at Calder Race Course" was posted on 7 July 2010 11:23 PM under Horse Racing News, Horses, Race Tracks, Racing Picks & Betting Tips, Stakes Races
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