David and Teresa Palmer’s homebred Wild Bout Tiffany, who ran for a $25,000 claiming price this March at Gulfstream Park, was a surprise winner of the $75,000 U Can Do It Handicap at Calder Casino & Race Course Saturday, leading throughout to win by a neck while covering six furlongs in 1:11.27.
“The instructions were to sit still and wait as much as I could,” winning rider Manoel Cruz said. “But she broke the gate like she wanted to go, and she put like two or three lengths on them, which I was happy to take. I took a hold and nobody wanted to go with me.”
Wild Bout Tiffany cut fractions of :21.98 and :45.36, and was resilient through the wire to hold off threatening late challenges from both Flying Trip and Bessie M.
“She started to get a little tired at the end, but we got there,” Cruz said.
Wild Bout Tiffany returned $29.00, $10.40, and $7.40 for the win, the second Summit Preview Day stakes victory for trainer Bill Kaplan. Flying Trip paid $5.20 and $3.20 when second, while Bessie M brought back $14.00 for third.
Completing the order of finish was Indulgence, Tamarind Hall, Callmethesqueeze, White Merlot, Latin Rocks, Beso Grande, and maiden Nicky Boy.
Wild Bout Tiffany has now prevailed in seven of 19 starts, while boosting her lifetime bankroll to $212,120.
The U Can Do It Handicap is the local prep for the Grade 1 Princess Rooney, the centerpiece event on the July 7 Summit of Speed program. No U Can Do It Handicap winner has returned to win the Princess Rooney, although Kaplan’s Musical Romance, who won the U Can Do It last year, was beaten a nose in the Princess Rooney.
