MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (July 13, 2008) – Calder Race Course presented its ninth annual Summit of Speed program, a day dedicated to sprint races – including four Graded stakes – on Saturday, July 12. The $400,000 Grade I Princess Rooney Handicap and $400,000 Grade II Smile Sprint Handicap, both Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ races for their respective divisions, highlighted the card that attracted a meet-to-date high attendance of 8,425 racing fans.

The enthusiastic on-track crowd wagered $731,114 on the 12-race program, which included a total six stakes races. Racing fans at inter-track wagering (ITW) facilities throughout the state of Florida bet another $442,512, while customers at intra-state wagering (ISW) locations around the country added $4,360,238 to bring the total handle to $5,533,864 – the highest of the season that began on April 21.

The Calder racing signal was not available outside the state of Florida, however, from opening day through July 7 due to a purse contract dispute with the Florida Horsemen’s Protective and Benevolent Association (FHBPA). The organization withheld their approval to export the Calder signal to ISW sites during this time. A contract was finalized on Monday, July 7, which allowed for the Calder signal to resume its ISW simulcast broadcasts on Thursday, July 10. A dispute with horsemen’s groups regarding advance deposit wagering (ADW) continues, which prohibits Calder’s races from being offered on various online wagering platforms, including twinspires.com, a Churchill Downs company. Calder is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated.

The total handle of the 2008 Summit of Speed was down from last year’s $7,187,424. The 2007 event featured eight stakes races worth a total $2 million on a 13-race card, while this year’s event offered six stakes races worth a total $1,410,000 on a 12-race program. Purses of this year’s Summit races were reduced due to the effects of the two and half months long contract dispute. Attendance at the 2007 Summit was 9,677.

On the track and in some of the event’s most memorable performances, J. Paul Reddam’s Mistical Plan won the Princess Rooney, Calder’s sole Grade I event, with jockey Corey Nakatani aboard for trainer Doug O’Neill; IEAH Stables and partners’ Benny the Bull was the popular winner of the Smile Sprint for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. and jockey Edgar Prado; M375 Thoroughbreds and Pablo Suarez’ 3-year-old Golden Spikes took the Grade II $250,000 Carry Back Stakes under jockey Elvis Trujillo for locally-based trainer Marty Wolfson; and California invader Indyanne maintained a perfect record after winning the Grade III $250,000 Azalea Stakes for trainer Greg Gilchrist. Racing’s all-time leading jockey Russell Baze was the winning jockey on Indyanne. Red Nation won the $55,000 Frank Gomez Memorial Stakes and Additional Prayer won the $55,000 J J’s Dream Stakes on the day’s undercard.