Homebreds rule Juvenile Showcase at Calder

Fort Loudon received a congratulatory pat from jockey Luis Jurado for taking the Affirmed (Jim Lisa Photos) Homebreds ruled the roost at Calder on Saturday, with four of the six stakes that took place on the day being captured by homebred runners. Leading the way was FORT LOUDON (Awesome of Course), who scored in the co-feature $125,000 Affirmed division of the Florida Stallion S. (FSS) series for owner/breeder Jacks or Better Farm. Jockey Luis Jurado was aboard the Stanley Gold charge when he won the first leg of the FSS series, the August 6 Dr. Fager, and returned here to make it two in a row. The pair bided their time running behind the pacesetting Gentlemans Code (Proud Accolade) until the eighth-pole, then bumped with that rival when rallying to take over. Fort Loudon continued pulling away under Jurado in the lane, easily holding off the late run from stablemate and fellow Jacks or Better homebred Argentine Tango (Black Mambo). Later on the card, Jacks or Better homebreds Redbud Road (Awesome of Course) and Awesome Belle (Awesome of Course) were unable to give Gold the co-featured $125,000 Susan’s Girl division of the FSS when QUEEN DRAMA (Burning Roma) nosed out the former to score for owner/breeder Harold Queen. “All four horses we ran in the (two) Stallion Stakes ran their races, so it’s sweet, but bittersweet not to win them both,” Gold said.

Fort Loudon is now on track to follow in the hoofsteps of former Jacks or
Better colorbearer Jackson Bend (Hear No Evil) and complete a sweep of the
Florida Stallion S. in the In Reality. The bay juvenile finished up the
seven-furlong Affirmed in 1:26 3/5 on the fast dirt and will have to stretch out
even farther and try two turns in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality on October 15.

“We’ll talk about options, but we have six weeks now to get ready for them to
go two turns,” Gold said. “You can pretty much be sure you’ll see Fort Loudon in
the In Reality (division of the FSS). With second money what it is in the In
Reality, it would be all right if Argentine Tango was second again.”

Fort Loudon could end up using the September 17 Foolish Pleasure S. going a
mile and 70 yards as a prep for the In Reality. His career line currently stands
at 6-3-0-2, $151,205.

Queen Drama nosed out Redbud Road to win the Susan’s Girl (Jim Lisa Photos) In the Susan’s Girl, Queen Drama gained a measure of revenge on Redbud Road after falling 1 1/4 lengths short on the wire of the Desert Vixen last out. Queen Drama took up position just beyond midpack as Redbud Road stalked the pacesetting Lotta Lovin (Repent), then swung four wide around the turn to go after her rival. Redbud Road had wrested the advantage away from the leader by this point, and Queen Drama engaged her at the sixteenth-pole before just eking out the win under jockey Daniel Centeno. “This filly is a very strong finisher, so the farther we go the better chance she has,” Centeno said. “I knew the favorite (Redbud Road) would finish well too, so I just stayed right behind her and when (jockey Luis) Saez moved at the three-eighths pole I had to follow them. I would have preferred to wait a little longer, but like I said, she’s a strong finisher.” Queen Drama ran seven furlongs in 1:27 and is now 4-2-2-0, $123,705, lifetime. “(Queen Drama will) go right into the (October 15) My Dear Girl (division of the FSS) with no race in between,” owner/breeder Queen said. “Fred Brei (of Jacks or Better Farm) and I run into each other a lot in Ocala. We have training barns next to each other at Nelson Jones Farm. They’ve been tough to beat, but we got there today.”

Queen had quite the day, as not long after the Susan’s Girl his filly Hot
Summer (Malibu Moon) captured the Victory Ride S. (G3) at Saratoga.

As for Redbud Road, the chestnut lass might end up in the Brave Raj S. on
September 17 before facing a rematch with Queen Drama in the My Dear Girl.

“We had the lead (with Redbud Road in the Susan’s Girl) and (trainer David
Fawkes’) filly got up to beat her by inches,” Gold said. “(Third-place finisher)
Awesome Belle had the one post and had to make two runs, but they both ran
well.”

Queen is no stranger to the Florida Stallion S., as he completed a sweep of
his own in 2008 with reigning champion sprinter Big Drama (Montbrook), who just
happens to be a half-brother to Queen Drama.

“It’s quite a family and we’ve got a yearling filly, also by Burning Roma,
coming up,” he said.

Calder’s Saturday stakes action got started in the $72,800
Seacliff S., which
saw LeAnne M. Robbins’ homebred MIDNIGHT SERENADE (Bandini) score by 2 3/4
lengths. The Stephen DiMauro-trained gelding ran in last until the turn, then
came wide to run down Burning Time (Burning Roma) and finish in 1:42 for the
mile contest under Jose Alvarez. Midnight Serenade won his first race two back,
but was disqualified to sixth. The dark bay juvenile returned just 20 days later
to officially break his maiden and improved his career mark to 5-2-0-0, $68,514,
in this one.

In the companion event to the Seacliff, FROLIC’S REVENGE (Vindication) posted
a 4 3/4-lenght win in the $63,000

Lindsay Frolic S. when going a mile in 1:42 for owner/breeder Stride Rite
Racing Stable. Jockey Juan Leyva guided the Milt Wolfson pupil to only her
second career win following a third in the J J’sdream S. and an allowance in her
past two. The dark bay filly has thus far compiled a 4-2-0-2, $58,220,
scorecard.

MUSICAL FLAIR (Songandaprayer) pulled out a 2 3/4-length victory in the
$59,600
Fasig-Tipton Turf Dash S. with Jesus Rios aboard. The Three Lyons Racing
colorbearer went five furlongs on the good turf in :57 2/5 for trainer Sal
Santoro to move his line to 3-2-0-0, $51,580. White Hall Lane Farm’s CITIZEN
ADVOCATE (Proud Citizen) wrapped up the black-type action when taking the
$74,400

Catcharisingstar S. by three parts of a length. The David Vivian charge gave
her rider, Jurado, a second stakes win on the card when going five grassy
furlongs in :58 1/5. The chestnut miss was claimed two back from breeder Peter
Vegso Racing Stable and is now 4-2-0-0, $67,900, lifetime.