Stage Door Betty

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

Saturday's $100,000 Stage Door Betty H. (G3) is the fourth and final leg of

Calder's Grand Slam III program, and Grade 1 queen TAKE D' TOUR (Tour d'Or)

tops the seven-horse field. Winner of the Ogden Phipps H. (G1) and Shuvee H.

(G2), the five-year-old mare also finished an excellent second in the Ruffian H.

(G1) this season. The David Fawkes trainee exits a solid 3 3/4-length score in

the Elmer Heubeck Distaff H. at Calder, earning a 96 BRIS Speed rating, but her

best efforts have come in one-turn routes at Belmont Park, where she's

registered Speed numbers of 109, 105 and 104. She's got the class to win, but

we'll try to beat the heavy favorite with POTRA CLASICA (Arg) (Potrillon [Arg]).

Trained by Marty Wolfson, Potra Clasica proved effective over Calder's main

track last year, winning two of three starts at the 1 1/16-mile distance, and

she tuned up for the Stage Door Betty with a sharp 7 1/2-length tally in the

Connie Ann S. at 8 1/2 furlongs. The five-year-old mare is versatile enough to

lead or rate, and she'll probably wind up sitting a perfect stalking trip from

her inside post on Saturday. Potra Clasica loves the track and is trained by one

of the best conditioners in South Florida. We'll look for a strong showing under

Eddie Castro.

SEA SIREN (Stormy Atlantic) could last a long way in her Calder debut. Fifth

in the Falls City H. (G2) most recently, the Ralph Nicks charge rolled to a

four-length, wire-to-wire victory in the Arlington Matron H. (G3) two starts

back and owns a 1-2-0 mark in three starts at the distance. Edgar Prado picks up

the mount on the front runner.

CURSORA (Arg) (Candy Stripes) rallied for third in the Falls City and the

multiple Group 1 winner in Argentina brings improving form into this event,

hitting the board in her last two starts after recording unplaced finishes in

her first three attempts. She's had much more success on grass than the main

track and appears to prefer a little more ground, but Cursora looms as a top

three candidate from off the pace.

TIGER BELLE (Tiger Ridge) also merits consideration for the top three.

Trained by David Muench, the four-year-old lass has earned triple-digit BRIS

Late Pace ratings this year and will have plenty of pace in front. We're not

sure she's good enough to make a serious impact, but we'll use her on the bottom

of the exotics.

AMAZING SPEED (Langfuhr) has been racing exclusively against three-year-old

rivals and her last two wins have come at shorter distances. We'll let her beat

us. RUNNING LASS (Running Stag) will likely show speed, but she'll probably have

a difficult time sustaining it against this company.