Our Sugar Bear Stable's 2-year-old colt Gourmet Dinner and Jacks or Better Farm's 2-year-old filly Awesome Feather are both undefeated and will be the likely favorites to add to their growing resumes in the $100,000 Affirmed and $100,000 Susan's Girl Divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes series Saturday at Calder Casino & Race Course.
The Affirmed and Susan's Girl, Round Two of the FSS series at seven furlongs, highlight a 13-race program exclusively for 2-year-olds to be run on Calder's annual Juvenile Showcase card that will also include four other $100,000 stakes races and four maiden special weight races worth $36,700 each to be run going short and long on dirt and turf.
Gourmet Dinner Stays Home for Affirmed
Our Sugar Bear Stable owner Bill Terrill co-bred Gourmet Dinner with Ocala Stud and took over full ownership purchasing him for $40,000 at the OBS 2-year-olds sales, a move that already has yielded a profit as he won his debut here on July 17 and came back for a hard-fought half-length victory in the $75,000 Dr. Fager Division at six furlongs on a ‘sloppy' track on Aug. 7.
Veteran jockey Sebastian Madrid gets a return call on Gourmet Dinner in the Affirmed for trainer Peter Gulyas. After the Dr. Fager, the Trippi colt's connections had considered a trip to Saratoga for the $250,000 Hopeful Stakes (G1) on Sept. 6. The Dr. Fager and Affirmed could lead to a start next in the $350,000 In Reality Division finale at 1 1/16 miles on Festival of the Sun day, Sat., Oct. 16.
Three of Gourmet Dinner's rivals in the Affirmed are also-entered in the $100,000 Seacliff Stakes to be run two races before on the program going one mile around two turns - Joyce and E.G. Frazee's, Rough'n Royal, Gilbert Campbell's Philyourpockets and Little Vees Stable's Vee's Accolade.
Rough'n Royal is a colt by Pomeroy purchased for $95,000 at the OBS August yearling sales trained by Dave Braddy and broke his maiden last out going seven furlongs on Aug. 13 by 13 ¾ lengths with Philyourpockets second. Leading jockey Luis Saez gets a return call on Rough'n Royal.
Jockey Eduardo Nunez is named on Philyourpockets for trainer Kathleen O'Connell, who also has Campbell's homebred Watch Me Go entered in the Affirmed. Philyourpockets is a son of Act of Duty and is still a maiden after three starts while Watch Me Go, by West Acre, won his debut here in May and finished fifth in the Dr. Fager. Jockey Pedro Monterrey, Jr. rides Watch Me Go.
Completing the field for the Affirmed is Jacks or Better Farm's homebred Alley Oop Oop to be ridden by Jeffrey Sanchez, the same owner-breeder-trainer-jockey team that swept the three ‘open' divisions of the Stallions Stakes series last year with emerging star Jackson Bend and they will also be represented by Awesome Feather in the Susan's Girl.
Alley Oop Oop is a son of Jacks or Better home stallion Monsieur Cat and broke his maiden in his third start on June 12 by a half-length over highly-regarded Little Drama, Alley Oop Oop makes his first start since finishing a distance second in the $100,000 Frank Gomez Memorial on July 10 behind Little Drama. Jacks or Betters' Grande Shores finished second in the Dr. Fager, but was not entered in the Affirmed.
Awesome Feather Bids for Fourth Straight in Susan's Girl
Jacks or Better Farm's homebred Awesome Feather is easily the most accomplished juvenile filly developed here so far this season winning all three of her starts, most recently the $75,000 Desert Vixen Division of the FSS by 4 ¾ lengths on Aug. 7 as the 1-to-2 favorite, and will likely be odds-on again in the Susan's Girl.
Jockey Jeffrey Sanchez has been aboard Awesome Feather in all of her starts for trainer Stanley Gold and will be back in the saddle Saturday in a field of six, although two of her rivals also are entered in the $100,000 Lindsay Frolic Stakes going one mile in the race before - Gilbert Campbell's Blue Eyed Sweetie and Double Jak Investments' Cristal Jak.
Awesome Feather is a daughter of Jacks or Better home stallion Awesome of Course out of Graded stakes-placed and multiple stakes winner Precious Feather. In two starts prior to the Desert Vixen, she won her debut by 5 ¾ lengths on May 1 and a half-length decision in the $100,000 JJ's Dream Stakes in her second start on July 10.
Jockey Manoel Cruz will be aboard Blue Eyed Sweetie if she goes in the Susan's Girl rather than the Lindsay Frolic and would appear to have the best chance for an upset over Awesome Feather. Jockey Manoel Cruz is named to ride the daughter of West Acre for trainer Kathleen O'Connell as she makes her fourth start after a debut victory in May and chasing Awesome Feather to be third in the JJ's Dream and second in the Desert Vixen.
Jockey Luis Saez gets the call on Cristal Jak if she goes in the Susan's Girl for trainer Antonio Sano after the daughter of Drewman broke her maiden last out by seven lengths on Aug. 12 for a $40,000 claiming tag and no takers.
Completing the field are James O'Donnell and partners' Mud Honey, Carlos Olivero; Teresa and David Palmer's Silverest, Sebastian Madrid; and Mike Eckman and partners' Sweetprincesscharm, Juan Leyva.
The Desert Vixen and Susan's Girl lead to the $350,000 My Dear Girl Division finale for fillies at 1 1/16 miles on Festival day.
Seacliff & Lindsay Frolic Offer Chance at a Distance
The one-mile distance around two turns of the Seacliff Stakes and Lindsay Frolic Stakes will be a learning experience for horsemen and horse players as none of the 12 colts and geldings entered in the Seacliff ever have been tried beyond seven furlongs and all but one of the 10 fillies in the Lindsay Frolic will be getting their first test over a distance.
Only 10 will be allowed to start in the Seacliff with two others left on the ‘also-eligible' list, including Vee's Accolade, also entered in the Affirmed. Rough'n Royal would be among the favorites in this spot if he doesn't go in the Affirmed and trainer Dave Braddy has Luis Saez named on the Pomeroy colt in both events.
Live Oak Plantation's Slews Big Finale will get support in the Seacliff after winning his last two starts for trainer Eddie Plesa, Jr. The Kentucky homebred colt by Ghostzapper rebounded from a seventh-place debut in June to break his maiden for a $40,000 claiming tag in July and then captured an allowance race last out on Aug. 14.
In the Lindsay Frolic, Blue Eyed Sweetie will be among the choices if trainer Kathleen O'Connell doesn't let her go in the Susan's Girl against favorite Awesome Feather, but will still face a potentially talented Jacks or Better Farm homebred filly in Evil Queen. Although still a maiden after three starts, Evil Queen appears to be waiting for more distance after finishing a close-up second going seven-eighths on Aug. 8.
Ward Has Solid Contenders in Both Turf Sprint Stakes
Owner-trainer Wesley Ward has brought a trio of accomplished juvenile prospects from his far-flung operation into his Calder division to contest the Fasig-Tipton Turf Dash and Catcharisingstar Stakes, both races to be run at five furlongs on turf, the latter restricted to fillies.
A field of 10 was drawn for the Fasig-Tipton Turf Dash and Ward bred and co-owns Madman Diaries with Robert Teel and has named Jeffrey Sanchez to ride. The Bring the Heat gelding has made all four of his starts at Woodbine in Canada, winning the Victoria Stakes in mid-June by 9 ¼ lengths and finishing second last out in the Colin Stakes on July 17 over the Polytrack synthetic surface.
Ward also has Aroyalsweet, a filly by Chapel Royal, entered in the Fasig-Tipton Turf Dash and the Catcharisingstar as well. Ward owns Aroyalsweet, a $22,000 OBS Winter sales purchase that finished second in her debut at Keeneland and broke her maiden at Woodbine in her only two starts, both in April.
Ward's Florida homebred filly No More Yogi's is entered in the Catcharisingstar, which drew a full field of 12 with another on the ‘also-eligible' list. A chestnut daughter of Salt Lake, No More Yogi's finished second and fourth in two starts at Keeneland in April and broke her maiden last out at Monmouth Park on June 11 for a $50,000 claiming tag and no takers.
Another contender that will attract support in the Catcharisingstar will be Gilbert Campbell's My Sunshine Gal with jockey Pedro Monterrey, Jr. named to ride for trainer Kathleen O'Connell. The homebred daughter of West Acre finished an even third last out behind Awesome Feather in the Desert Vixen in her third start after a second and maiden win.