Live Thoroughbred horse racing and special events return to
Calder on Monday, the opening day of the track’s 40th
anniversary celebration season. Calder first opened in 1971 and has
welcomed fans and bettors every year since, adding a new slot casino and poker
room in 2009 and 2010, respectively. This year’s meet will once again feature
such popular days as the Summit of Speed (July 9), Juvenile Showcase (August
27), Festival of the Sun (October 15) and Florida Million (November 12).
Some important facts about the 2011 season include:
more features than ever before
goes to five days starting July 25
percent takeout rate
www.calderracecourse.com
In addition, Calder offers free general admission and parking, with valet
parking available. Simulcast wagering is also available at the track every day
on major North American Thoroughbred tracks and a variety of South American
programs offered by the Latin American Racing Channel (LARC).
Calder will host Florida’s Biggest Kentucky Derby Party on May 7, but racing
fans don’t have to wait until then to see graded action. The first graded
contest of the 2011 season will be the $125,000 Grade 3 Miami Mile for three-year-olds
and upward going a mile on the turf Saturday.
Opening day itself will feature the $55,000 Hollywood Wildcat for
distaffers sprinting 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf. The race drew an overflow field
of 16, with six listed as also-eligibles. At least one of those should draw into
the race after Trip for A. J. ran second in Sunday’s Florida
Thoroughbred Charities on Gulfstream’s closing day.
Heading the field, though, are Cherokee Queen and Strike it Rich. The former is the defending champion of this race and
was last seen running fourth in the about 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 Hillsborough at
Tampa Bay Downs. She captured the Grade 3 Suwannee River two back and will have
Luis Saez aboard for trainer Marty Wolfson.
Strike it Rich has made just one start his season, finishing fifth against
optional claiming rivals on February 11 at Gulfstream. The Christophe
Clement-trained four-year-old posted three straight wins last year, taking an
allowance at Gulfstream then the Grade 3 Boiling Springs and Little Silver at
Monmouth Park. She actually broke her maiden at Calder in November 2009, scoring
by 4 1/4 lengths that day, and keeps Joe Bravo in the irons for the Hollywood
Wildcat.
Prominent on
the also-eligible list, and major players if wet weather conditions were to
force the Hollywood Wildcat to the main track, are Amazing and Sweet Repent. Amazing, also conditioned by Wolfson, was a 2 1/2-length
optional claiming winner going nine furlongs at Gulfstream last out after a top-effort finishing second by a half-length behind Grade 1 winner Evening Jewel
in
the Sunshine Millions Distaff at Santa Anita in late January.
Sweet Repent won four straight over the main track at Calder late in 2009,
including the Grade 3 Stage Door Betty, before a 3 3/4-length score in the
Sunshine Millions Distaff at Gulfstream in late January 2010.
Trained by Dave Braddy, the five-year-old mare has run only once since then,
finishing third in the Nancy’s Glitter at Calder on July 24.