Sunday, October 07 2012

MUSICAL ROMANCE BIDS FAREWELL TO CALDER

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (October 6, 2012) – Pinnacle Racing Stables and Bill Kaplan’s Eclipse Award winning female sprinter Musical Romance bid a proper farewell to Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday, winning the $55,000 Mike Sherman Memorial Stakes in her 25th and final start over her home track in advance of her November 3 title defense in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.

CALDER TO HONOR RETIRED THOROUGHBREDS

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (October 6, 2012) – In addition to hosting a stakes-filled afternoon of live racing as part of the 21st annual Festival of the Sun on Saturday, October 13, Calder Casino & Race Course will also hold ceremonies throughout the day in conjunction with Florida TRAC (Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care), Horses and the Handicapped of South Florida, the Broward Sheriff’s Mounted Unit, and Hobbs Equestrian to honor retired thoroughbred race horses now serving the community in their second careers.

Saturday, October 06 2012

JEFF CONINE CELEBRITY POKER CLASSIC

JEFF CONINE CELEBRITY POKER CLASSIC PRESENTED BY AACTION TRANSMISSIONS OF PEMBROKE PINES RAISES $115,000 FOR JOE DIMAGGIO CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION AND CONINE CLUBHOUSE

Hollywood, FL – The Second Annual Jeff Conine Celebrity Poker Classic Presented by Aaction Transmissions of Pembroke Pines at Calder Casino & Race Course recently 'hit one out of the park' and raised $115,000 for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation, which helps underwrite the operations of the Conine Clubhouse, a home-away-from-home for families of children under care at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. The event was held on Sunday, Sept. 30.

MUSICAL ROMANCE LEADS MIKE SHERMAN MEMORIAL FIELD

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (October 4, 2012) – While the $75,000 Kenny Noe, Jr. Handicap is technically the feature race at Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday, the day’s spotlight is likely to fall upon the $55,000 Mike Sherman Memorial as Pinnacle Racing Stable and Bill Kaplan’s Eclipse Award winning female sprinter Musical Romance was among the 10 fillies or mares entered for the 6 ½-furlong dash.

Friday, October 05 2012

ECLIPSE AWARD WINNER STILL ON TARGET FOR SATURDAY START AT CALDER

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (October 5, 2012) – With the possibility of a somewhat surprising appearance by Pinnacle Racing Stable and Bill Kaplan’s Eclipse Award winner Musical Romance in the $55,000 Mike Sherman Memorial Stakes, the complexion of Saturday’s 6 ½-furlong filly and mare sprint at Calder Casino & Race Course could change drastically once scratches are in.

Thursday, October 04 2012

Musical Romance Leads Mike Sherman Memorial Field

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (October 4, 2012) – While the $75,000 Kenny Noe, Jr. Handicap is technically the feature race at Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday, the day’s spotlight is likely to fall upon the $55,000 Mike Sherman Memorial as Pinnacle Racing Stable and Bill Kaplan’s Eclipse Award winning female sprinter Musical Romance was among the 10 fillies or mares entered for the 6 ½-furlong dash.

Last seen locally winning the Grade 1 Princess Rooney Handicap as part of the July 7 Summit of Speed program, the daughter of Concorde’s Tune competed just two weeks ago when travelling to Belmont Park for the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap where she crossed the wire third.

Wednesday, October 03 2012

GOURMET DINNER ARRIVES FOR SPEND A BUCK

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (October 3, 2012) – Our Sugar Bear Stable’s Gourmet Dinner, a two-time Florida Stallion Stakes winner in 2010 before being denied a sweep when second in that year’s In Reality Stakes, cleared the Calder stable gate for the first time in 20 months on Wednesday morning when arriving at the barn of trainer David Braddy in advance of a planned start in the Grade 3 Spend A Buck Handicap on October 13.

“I’ve got some horses for Billy Terrill of Our Sugar Bear and I’m just helping out with a stall and keeping an eye on the horse for him and for trainer Bruce Brown,” Braddy said. “I spoke with Billy and the plan was to run in the Spend A Buck, and what they choose to do with the horse after the race is up to them.”

Sunday, September 30 2012

Starter Series Wide-Open After Saturday’s Second Leg

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (September 30, 2012) – After two legs in which 12 different horses gained at least one single point, the Tropical Starter Series will head to its October 27 conclusion as a wide-open chase for the $5,000 bonus that awaits the trainer of the series winner.

In Saturday’s second-leg, a 7 ½-furlong heat on the turf, the Humberto Toledo-trained Nineinthenine was awarded the winner’s share of six points when rallying late to prevail by 1 ½ lengths under the patient handling of jockey Luis Saez.

Friday, September 28 2012

Mind Spell Looking to Upset ‘Big Three’ in Contentious Birdonthewire

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (September 28, 2012) – While the main focus of Saturday’s $100,000 Birdonthewire Stakes at Calder Casino & Race Course is sure to be the heavyweight showdown between the stakes-winning trio of Brave Dave, Sr. Quisqueyano, and Two T’s At Two B, the role of race spoiler could fall to the Jason DaCosta-trained Mind Spell, a promising colt that was a seven-length winner when breaking his maiden earlier this month.

“I picked him out at the sale and always had high expectations for him,” DaCosta said of the $50,000 April 2012 Ocala Breeders’ Sale purchase. “When he won his race, he did it so easy that when he came back from it in good shape, we immediately pointed him to this race.”

Top Juveniles to Collide in Birdonthewire

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (September 27, 2012) – A field of eight 2-year-olds, led by the triumvirate of David Melin and Laurie Plesa’s Grade 3 Sapling Stakes winner Brave Dave, Rosa Taveras’ Seacliff Stakes hero Sr. Quisqueyano, and Gilbert Campbell’s two-time stakes conqueror Two T’s At Two B, will line up for a strong renewal of the $100,000 Birdonthewire Stakes at Calder Casino & Race Course Saturday.

Trained by Eddie Plesa, Jr., Brave Dave made his career debut at Calder in late June, scoring a 1 ¼-length front-running victory. The son of Put It Back was subsequently shipped north where he ran a respectable fourth in the Grade 2 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga before returning to post a three-quarter length win in the Sapling at Monmouth Park.

Sunday, September 23 2012

Flying Trip Moves Atop Starter Series Table

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (September 23, 2012) – Trainer Gilberto Zerpa took one step closer to winning the $5,000 trainer bonus that will be presented upon completion of the Tropical Starter Series Filly and Mare Division when his Flying Trip won Saturday’s second leg, adding six points to the five points the filly had earned three weeks earlier when crossing the wire second in the opening leg.

Originally scheduled for turf, Saturday’s race was moved to the main track which proved beneficial to Flying Trip who had finished seventh and ninth in her two prior grassy attempts but was a proven performer on dirt with a stakes victory in the 2010 Cassidy, a second in this year’s U Can Do It Handicap, and a fourth in Grade 1 Princess Rooney Handicap.

Saturday, September 22 2012

Pellegrini Filly Rested and Ready for Stage Door Betty

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (September 21, 2012) – When Herman Van Den Broeck’s prized 4-year-old filly Angelica Zapata heads to the track as the likely favorite in Saturday’s Stage Door Betty Handicap, the three-time stakes winning daughter of Sharp Humor will be making her first start in 10 weeks, a respite that was born out of design and not necessity.

“That was always the plan with her,” trainer Ron Pellegrini said of the extended break given to Angelica Zapata following her nine-length triumph in the Nancy’s Glitter on July 14. “We wanted to keep her fresh for the second half of the year and we think that’s what we’ve accomplished; she was always going to get the time off following her last.”