Saturday, April 03 2010
Calder Kicks off 40th Season of Horse Racing on April 25
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (April 2, 2010) – The Future is NOW!
Get ready for post time at Calder Casino & Race Course on April 25th! The first race goes to post at 1:10 p.m. and will mark Calder’s first live Thoroughbred horse racing action simultaneous with its new casino.
Thursday, March 25 2010
Calder Casino & Race Course Announces 2010 Stakes Schedules
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (March 25, 2010) – Calder Casino & Race Course has announced its stakes schedules for both the 2010 Calder Meet and 2010 Tropical Meet, the track’s back-to-back racing seasons, that start on April 25. The Calder Meet offers 33 stakes worth $4,145,000 and the Tropical Meet will feature 17 stakes totaling $1,915,000 for a combined stakes program worth $6,060,000.
Calder enters its 40th season of racing in 2010 and will present a stakes program that includes renewals of the Summit of Speed and Festival of the Sun, the 29th runnings of the Florida Stallion Stakes series, and the Florida Million.
Friday, January 22 2010
Calder Casino Opens Friday!
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (January 21, 2010) – The brand-new Calder Casino at Calder Casino & Race Course will open its doors for guests for the first time on Friday, Jan. 22 at 9:00 a.m. as a result of passing its review by the State of Florida earlier this afternoon.
The expansive single-level facility (104,000 square feet total) boasts over 1,200 Class III slot machines in an atmosphere reminiscent of the best casinos in Las Vegas. The Calder Casino is the only casino at a Thoroughbred horse track in Miami-Dade County and is the second pari-mutuel facility in the county to offer slots. Voters approved a referendum to allow slot machines at the then three existing pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade in January 2008. Calder broke ground on the new facility on June 3, 2009 and completed construction earlier this month.
Saturday, January 16 2010
Calder Gets Ready for Grand Opening of Casino
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (January 15, 2010) – As South Florida prepares for the onslaught of activity in Miami during the months of January and February with the “Big Games” at Dolphin Stadium on Jan. 31 and Feb. 7, the community also eagerly awaits the Grand Opening of the all-new Calder Casino & Race Course…just north of the stadium in Miami Gardens.
Calder first opened as a horse racing track back in 1971 and has welcomed locals and visitors alike every year since then. It’s been one of the most successful pari-mutuel franchises in the state’s history. While horse racing and simulcast wagering have been its mainstays – Calder is a Churchill Downs Company – Calder is getting ready to enter the world of casino gaming for the first time with the opening of its slots facility in late January.
Tuesday, January 05 2010
Calder and the FHBPA Take the Lead in Horse Rescue and Retirement Initiatives
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Jan. 5, 2010) – In April of 2009, Calder Casino & Race Course and the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association (FHBPA) partnered with the Florida Thoroughbred Rehabilitation and Placement program (FTRP), a Division of Pure Thoughts Horse and Foal Rescue in Loxahatchee, Fla. Since this partnership, Pure Thoughts has accepted 36 Thoroughbreds from Calder and successfully placed 15 of them into after race life homes. In less than one year, Calder and the FHBPA have raised $132,000 to assist in funding after race life initiatives to horse welfare organizations and rescues.
Sunday, January 03 2010
Calder Concludes 2009/10 Tropical Meet
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Jan. 2, 2010) – Calder Casino & Race Course concluded its 47-day Tropical Meet on Saturday, Jan. 2, but year-round simulcasting and live poker action at Studz Poker Club continue seven days and nights each week. Meanwhile, anticipation for the brand new Calder Casino, featuring over 1,200 slot machines and three new restaurants, continues to build as the facility aims for a late January opening.
The 2009/10 Tropical Meet again showcased the Florida Thoroughbred breeding industry with its renewal of the Florida Million on Nov. 14. The event, first held in 2002, features eight stakes races worth $1.2 million for registered Florida-breds and is held in conjunction with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Friday, January 01 2010
Calder Barn Notes: 01-01-10
Tropical Trainers Title Chase Down to Wire
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Jan. 4, 2010) – Trainer Kathleen O’Connell goes into the final two days of Calder’s Tropical Meet with 16 wins and a narrow lead of one over closest rival Steve Dwoskin second with 15 and Bill White and Marty Wolfson tied for third only two back with 14 tallies apiece.
O’Connell has ranked in the top 10 on the trainers’ leader board as often as not for Calder and Tropical meets for more than a decade, but never has won a championship here. O’Connell holds a strong hand for the last two programs with runners entered in four races Friday and three on Saturday’s closing day card.
Calder Stakes Recap: $100,000 Tropical Park Derby (G3)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Jan. 1, 2010) – Gilbert Campbell’s Florida homebred Fly by Phil got past the pacesetting favorite Lost Aptitude in the final strides to win the 35th running of the Tropical Park Derby (G3) at Calder Casino & Race Course on Friday. The Tropical Park Derby is the first “derby” of the New Year in the country. Eduardo Nunez was the winning jockey for trainer Kathleen O’Connell.
Afternoon rains prior to the Tropical Park Derby created a ‘yielding’ turf course for the event, but it didn’t seem to make a difference for Fly by Phil, who was making his turf course debut. After stalking the pace in the early going of the 1 1/8 miles race, Fly by Phil rallied down the homestretch to catch Lost Aptitude in the very end to win by a head. Cat Park finished third.
Monday, December 28 2009
ALVARADO HAS SUNDAY DOUBLE; SPECIAL MONDAY RACING AT GGF
ALBANY -- Jockey Frank Alvarado delivered for the "chalk players" Sunday at Golden Gate Fields when he guided the favorite to victory in back-to-back races.
Alvarado won the sixth race with Isabelqa ($5.80), the 9-to-5 choice in a field of six 3-year-old fillies. Trained by Jeff Bonde, Isabelqa took the one-mile event by three lengths over Come On Mama.
Sunday, December 27 2009
Sweet Repent Noses Out Amazing to Win Stage Door Betty (G3)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Dec. 26, 2009) – Buongiorno A Tutti Stable’s 3-year-old filly Sweet Repent notched her fourth consecutive victory at Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday when winning the $100,000 Stage Door Betty Handicap (G3) by the slimmest of margins over the 4-year-old filly Amazing. It was 3 ½ lengths back to Aurora Lights in third.
Sent off as the even-money favorite, Sweet Repent and jockey Manoel Cruz stalked the early pace set by Amazing and Elvis Trujillo and they made their big run coming down the stretch in the 1 1/16 miles race. Sweet Repent got to the wire just in time to defeat Amazing and covered the distance in 1:46.91. she paid $4.00, $2.80 and $2.60.
Cloudy’s Knight Makes Winning Calder Debut, takes Prestigious W.L. McKnight Handicap (G2)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Dec. 26, 2009) – S J Stables’ well-traveled 9-year-old gelding Cloudy’s Knight made his first appearance at Calder Casino & Race Course a winning one on Saturday when taking the prestigious $150,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap (G2) by 1 ¼ lengths over Spice Route. Winchester was a half-length back in third place.
Trained by Jonathan Sheppard, Cloudy’s Knight was ridden to victory by Rosemary Homeister, Jr., who was also aboard for his last three victories, as well as a tough loss in the Breeders’ Cup Marathon at Santa Anita last month.
Motovato Turns Back to Win Kenny Noe, Jr. Handicap (G3)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Dec. 26, 2009) – Edmund Gann’s 4-year-old Kentucky-bred colt Motovato turned back to the seven furlongs distance for the first time since March on Saturday at Calder Casino & Race Course and won the $100,000 Kenny Noe, Jr. Handicap (G3) by a quarter of a length over Dream Maestro. It was the first Graded stakes victory for Motovato, who has now won five of 13 career starts.
Ridden by jockey Elvis Trujillo for trainer Marty Wolfson, Motovato came from off the pace to run down Dream Maestro in the final strides and complete the distance in 1:24.44. Dream Maestro finished three lengths ahead of Prince Joshua in third place.
