Sal the Barber prevails in Calder Derby

Sal the Barber sliced his way to victory (Jim Lisa Photos) Lewis Schaffel’s homebred SAL THE BARBER (Alphabet Soup) gamely prevailed in Saturday’s $100,000 Calder Derby (G3), out-finishing a cavalry charge of horses to record his first graded score. Favored at 1-2, the Christophe Clement-trained colt paid $3, $2.10 and $2.10 after completing nine furlongs in 1:49 2/5 over the firm turf, and he’s now earned $171,132 from a 7-3-1-2 line. “He’s a really classy horse,” said Jane Turner, assistant to Clement. “He shipped in really well. Christophe Clement is a genius when it comes to picking the right spots for his horses.” Sal the Barber sat a perfect stalking trip in third behind early splits in :23 4/5, :48 3/5 and 1:13 1/5, and jockey Eddie Castro asked for run turning for home as the field began to bunch up. The race appeared wide open as pacesetter Regis (Wekiva Springs) reached the mile mark in 1:37 4/5 with a tenuous head advantage, and Sal the Barber responded in deep stretch, determinedly striking the front as Grand Cash (Belong to Me) and Livingston Street (Mr. Livingston) closed with their furious late rally. Less than two lengths separated the top five finishers.

“Mr. Clement told me that all I had to be concerned with was saving some
ground and this horse will give me a good finish,” Castro said. “He was right
and it all went according to plan. When I hooked the leaders at the top of the
stretch, my horse got competitive and responded very well.”

Grand Cash grabbed second by a neck as the 5-1 second choice and returned
$3.80 and $3.20. Livingston Street, who was off at 7-1, paid $3.60 for third,
and the 27-1 Quiet Emarati (Quiet American) completed the superfecta. The
exotics totaled $10.60 (exacta), $29 (trifecta) and $291 (3-6-2-7 superfecta).
Regis, Pound Foolish (Exchange Rate), Stately Character (Pleasant Tap), Just
Like Biscuit (Sligo Bay [Ire]) and Scorbit (Scorpion) rounded out the order of
finish, and Temo’s Dream (Pure Precision) was scratched.

Out of the Deputy Minister mare Alya, Sal the Barber counts as half-siblings
stakes queen Joyful Chaos (Rahy), a yearling filly by More Than Ready and a 2009
colt by Thunder Gulch. Grade 1-wining millionaire Colonial Waters (Pleasant
Colony) is his maternal granddam, and this is the female family of Grade 2
winner and 1977 Preakness (G1) runner-up Iron Constitution (Iron Ruler), and
Japanese Grade 1 winner Success Brocken (Symboli Kris S). Sal the Barber notched
his first stakes win in the Don Jack S. at Belmont Park in early July, and the
three-year-old also has a second in the Hall of Fame S. (G2) and a third in the
Lamplighter S. to his credit.