Friday, August 29 2008

Calder Amends Live Schedule to Continue Four-Day Racing Weeks Through Mid-November

Miami Gardens, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2008) – Calder Race Course has amended its 2008 schedule and will conduct four-day live racing weeks instead of its original five-day schedule from September through the middle of November. Florida’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering granted its approval for Calder’s request on Thursday afternoon. The track will remain open seven days each week for full-card simulcasting.

The change is a result of the combination of a challenging overall economy, lower than anticipated business levels due to the unavailability of Calder's signal in the simulcast market earlier this year, and the continued unavailability of Calder’s races to advance deposit wagering (ADW) platforms.

During the month of August, the track presented live racing four days a week as part of its original schedule.

Monday, August 18 2008

Calder Adjusts Schedules Due to T.S. Fay

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Aug. 18, 2008) – Southeast Florida is under a tropical storm warning as Tropical Storm Fay moves across the Florida Straits Monday morning. With heavy rain and gusty winds expected to spread through the area on Tuesday, Calder Race Course will close the main track and training track for training tomorrow as well as cancel simulcast wagering at the facility. There is no live racing scheduled Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday this week.

Sunday, August 03 2008

Hypocrite wins Valid Video Stakes at Calder

Hypocrite rallied after the leaders set a rapid pace to win Saturday's $55,000 Valid Video Stakes at Calder Race Course. The victory in the race for 3-year-olds was the first in a stakes race for Hypocrite and his second in three Calder starts this year."

My Sweet Natalie Leads from Start to Finish in Georgia Juvenile Filly Turf Dash

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (August 2, 2008) – Wesley Ward bred 2-year-old filly My Sweet Natalie and co-owns her with Raymond Feldman. He also trains the speedy daughter of Bring the Heat, who won her first stakes race on Saturday in just her third career start: the $75,000 Georgia Juvenile Filly Turf Dash at Calder.

Ridden by Paco Lopez, My Sweet Natalie broke from the starting gate sharply and gained a quick lead over her nine rivals. Never challenged, she drew off down the stretch of the five-furlong turf race to win by five lengths over Jungle Jill. Wild Actress finished third.

Wolfson Team Leads Calder Connections on Haskell Day at Monmouth

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (August 2, 2008) – Calder-connected horses and horsemen had a good weekend at Monmouth Park during the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in late October, including the victory of Maryfield in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint with Elvis Trujillo aboard and Gottcha Gold finishing second in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for trainer Eddie Plesa, Jr.

The biggest day at Monmouth since then comes on Sunday with the running of the $1 million Haskell Invitational with a full menu of other stakes to be run earlier on the card, and trainer Marty Wolfson has sent a team of four stakes runners from Calder for three of the races with former Calder leading riders Eddie Castro and Trujillo to ride them.

Saturday, August 02 2008

Calder Barn Notes: 8-1-08

Awesome Alexandra Bids for Fifth Straight in Ema Bovary at Calder

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (August 1, 2008) – Farnsworth Stable’s 4-year-old filly Awesome Alexandra has posted four consecutive easy victories at Calder Race Course at the meet for trainer Marty Wolfson as she worked her way through starter/allowance and allowance conditions, and will take another step up in class Saturday as one of the choices in the $55,000 Ema Bovary overnight stakes.

Apprentice jockey Paco Lopez has been aboard Awesome Alexandra for each of her last four tallies and gets a return call for Saturday’s 6 ½ furlongs test, facing seven rival fillies and mares in her toughest challenge to date. Wolfson claimed the daughter of Awesome Again for Farnsworth at Gulfstream Park for $25,000 on Mar. 10 and has won five of six since then.

Thursday, July 31 2008

Hypocrite Gets Class Break in Valid Video Overnight

Jacqueline Tortora and Toni and Richard Ancona’s homebred 3-year-old colt Hypocrite ran a very good race to finish fourth in the $250,000 Carry Back Stakes (G2) on ‘Summit of Speed’ day at Calder Race Course on July 12; beaten only 2 ½ lengths for it all by Golden Spikes as a 28-to-1 longshot; and comes back as the probable favorite in Saturday’s $55,000 Valid Video overnight stakes.

Jockey Manoel Cruz will be aboard Hypocrite for trainer Manny Tortora in Saturday’s 6 1/2-furlong test, facing eight rivals his own age. A son of Outofthebox, Hypocrite was a sharp winner of an allowance race over the same distance as the Valid Video on June 28 prior to the Carry Back in his first start since finishing third in the Foolish Pleasure Stakes here in September.

Joffe’s Run a Standout in Regal Gal Overnight

Andrew Rosen’s 3-year-old filly Joffe’s Run romped home an 11-length winner of the Sweettrickydancer overnight stakes going a mile on the main track on July 5 in her last start after that race was forced off turf, and comes back over the same track and distance as a likely odds-on choice in Saturday’s $55,000 Regal Gal overnight stakes.

Jockey Jermaine Bridgmohan gets a return call on Joffe’s Run for trainer Marty Wolfson as she faces five rivals her own age. A chestnut daughter of Giant’s Causeway, Joffe’s Run raced in England last year with trainer Brian Meehan before coming to the U.S. to finish 10th over a ‘yielding’ course in the Epitome Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park in late October.

Georgia Juvenile Filly Turf Dash One of Three Stakes Saturday at Calder

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (July 31, 2008) – The $75,000 Georgia Juvenile Filly Turf Dash to be run Saturday at Calder Race Course drew a wide-open field of 10, including two first-time starters and two other maidens that can’t be discounted. The race leads a trio of stakes to be run on the 12-race program, followed by editions of the $55,000 Regal Gal overnight and the $55,000 Valid Video overnight.

Raymond Feldman and co-owner-breeder-trainer Wesley Ward’s My Sweet Natalie and Joel Kligman’s Jungle Jill will be among the choices in the five-furlong Georgia Juvenile Filly Turf Dash with jockeys Paco Lopez and Ariel Smith aboard, respectively.

Tuesday, July 29 2008

Cruz & Lopez Come Out of Weekend Tied Atop Rider Standings

Veteran jockey Manoel Cruz, a two-time Calder Meet champion, and 22-year-old apprentice Paco Lopez continued their day-in, day-out rivalry for leading rider honors at the session and came out of this weekend’s action tied with 67 victories apiece after 60 days.

Lopez trailed by two going into Sunday’s card, but posted a triple while Cruz won one race. Javier Santiago remains clear in third with 55 winners, followed by Ariel Smith and Eduardo Nunez tied for fourth with 42 tallies apiece.

Dubai Majesty Turns Back to Turf for Friday Feature

Veteran trainer Joe Calascibetta has had a good meet at Calder with 14 winners from 42 starters, three of the victories coming from Harold Plumley’s 3-year-old filly Dubai Majesty, and the daughter of Essence of Dubai will likely be a heavy favorite in Friday’s ‘a other than’ allowance feature at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Regular rider Manuel Aguilar will be back aboard Dubai Majesty, who won her only previous career try on turf here on June 26 by seven lengths going a mile as she has risen up in class from winning a ‘non-winners’ of two claiming test going six furlongs for $25,000 in early May.

Desert Vixen Prospect Oilgonewile in Thursday Allowance Feature

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (July 28, 2008) – Chester Bishop and partners’ 2-year-old filly Oilgonewile made a big impression winning her career debut on June 28 at Calder Race Course by 3 ½ lengths for trainer Kirk Ziadie, and will likely be favored in her second start in Thursday’s ‘a other than’ allowance at 5 ½ furlongs with jockey Elver Nunez getting the return call.

A chestnut daughter of Montbrook, Oilgonewile was a $65,000 OBS March 2-year-old sales purchase and was well backed at less than 3-to-1 in her first start at 4 ½ furlongs. A good effort Thursday would likely earn her a berth in the $100,000 Desert Vixen Division of the Florida Stallion Stakes on Sat., Aug. 16.