Calder concluded the live racing portion of its 105-day
Calder Meet on Sunday, and remains open for simulcasting on Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday before commencing the 47-day Tropical Meet on Thursday. Calder will also unveil the brand-new 29-table Studz Poker Club at an
invitation-only VIP event on Thursday and open the doors to the public on
Friday.
The 39th
season of racing at Calder was highlighted by its annual cornerstone events, the
Summit of Speed on July 11 and the Festival of the Sun this past Saturday. Jacks or
Better Farm’s two-year-old homebred colt JACKSON BEND (Hear No Evil) completed a
sweep of the Florida Stallion S. open division with his impressive victory in the
$400,000 In Reality at the Festival of the Sun.
Significant track milestones were also reached during the 2009 Calder Meet,
including the groundbreaking of Calder’s 104,000-square foot slots facility on
June 3, the creation of the Platinum Club for VIP Twin Spires Club members, and
the construction of Studz Poker Club on the first floor of the grandstand. The slots facility
— with 1,225 slot machines and three new restaurants — is
scheduled to open in January 2010.
Leading the 2009 Calder Meet jockey standings was Manoel Cruz with 167 wins,
nearly twice the victories of his closest competitor, Jeffrey Sanchez in second
place with 86 wins. Cruz, 39, had won the Calder Meet jockey title in 2003
and 2006. Sanchez, notably, is the regular rider of Jackson Bend.
Finishing third in the standings with 73 wins was Eduardo Nunez, who is the
all-time leading jockey at Calder. Finishing fourth for this Calder Meet
was 17-year-old apprentice Luis Saez with 54 wins, a remarkable total considering he only
arrived from his native Panama to begin his U.S. career less than two months ago
and hit a high note Saturday when he rode juvenile filly SWEETLALABYE
(Sweetsouthernsaint) to victory in the $400,000 My Dear Girl division of the
Florida Stallion S.
Trainer Bill White, who already owns 10 leading Calder Meet training titles,
earned his 11th after winning 51 races during the 2009 season. The winner
of eight straight crowns from 1997-2004, White was earning his first title since
2006.
Marty Wolfson
finished second in the trainer standings with 34 wins, and Steve Dwoskin was
third with 29 wins.
Dwoskin was
the leading owner of the 2009 Calder Meet with 21 wins, winning two races on
Sunday to pass Christos Gatis and Monarch Stables, each with 19 wins to tie for
second. Rose Family Stable was next in the standings with 18 victories
during the season.
The Tropical Meet, which traditionally marks the start of the winter racing
season in South Florida, runs through January 2, 2010. Key fixtures include the
eighth running of the Florida Million, comprising eight state-bred stakes worth
$1.2 million on November 14; the Tropical Turf H. (G3) and My Charmer H. (G3) on
December 5; the W.L. McKnight H. (G2), Kenny Noe Jr. H. (G3) and Stage Door
Betty H. (G3) on December 26; and the Tropical Park Derby (G3) and Calder
calendar giveaway on January 1.
Daily 1ST race post time for the Tropical Meet is 12:25 p.m. (ET), and Calder’s
admissions gates open at 11 a.m. Exceptions are on November 7 (Breeders’ Cup
Saturday) with a noon post time and Thanksgiving Day (post time 11 a.m.). Admission to both the grandstand and clubhouse is free; parking is also free,
with $5 and $10 valet service also available.