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CALDER NOTEBOOK AUGUST 6, 2010 Stallion Stakes season begins at Calder Saturday First run in 1982, Calder's unique Florida Stallion Stakes series for two-year-olds has been an early format for stars on the rise beginning in the early years with Smile and Brave Raj in the '80s, Unbridled and Holy Bull in the '90s, and sweeps of the "open" divisions the last two years by Big Drama (Montbrook) and Jackson Bend (Hear No Evil), respectively. Saturday's Round 1 divisions of the $75,000 Dr. Fager and $75,000 Desert Vixen will both be held at six furlongs. Harold Queen's Little Drama (Burning Roma), a half-brother to Big Drama, is the likely odds-on favorite in the Dr. Fager for trainer David Fawkes. Jacks or Better Farm's Awesome Feather (Awesome Course), who is trained by Stanley Gold, is the one to beat in the Desert Vixen. The latter hails from the same team that campaigned Jackson Bend last year. Fawkes is having a busy and successful summer with a full division at home at Calder, currently tied for second in the standings with 15 wins, and another sizeable string campaigning at the rich Monmouth Park session where he has won eight races from 36 starters. Both "Drama Brothers" are in action this weekend with Big Drama among the favorites in the $250,000 A.G. Vanderbilt H. (G2) at Saratoga on Sunday. The siblings are out of the Notebook mare Riveting Drama. Big Drama was very impressive winning the $350,000 Smile Sprint H. (G2) at Calder on Summit of Speed day, July 10, over the Quantum Racing Team's five-year-old gelding Mambo Meister (King Cugat), and a Smile rematch in the A.G. Vanderbilt is set as trainer Phil Gleaves sent Mambo Meister to the Spa a week ago to prepare for the race. The A.G. Vanderbilt is one of two Summit of Speed day rematches set to take place in a major stakes at Saratoga this weekend, with Terra Di Sienna Stable's Pica Slew (Pico Central [Brz]) and Avalon Farm's Buckleupbuttercup (Najran) clashing again in Saturday's $250,000 Test S. (G1) after finishing one-two, respectively, in the $150,000 Azalea S. (G3). Calder-based trainer Joe Calascibetta, who developed D' Funnybone (D'wildcat) early last year at Calder before his private sale, trained Pica Slew to win all three of her starts this year at Calder, climaxed by the Azalea score, but the daughter of Pica Slew has been sent to Mike Hushion in New York to prepare for the Test. Kentucky-based Eddie Kenneally trains Buckleupbuttercup. Dwoskin opens up in trainer standings For most of the three months of the Calder meet, the trainers' standings has been a day-by-day, race-to-race battle with seldom more than a win or two separating the top five or six on the leader board, and frequently a tie among as many as three horsemen for the lead at a time. However, owner-trainer Steve Dwoskin sent out a winner on each of the four days of racing last week to open up a lead of five with 20 victories with Fawkes, Chris Gatis and Marty Wolfson in a three-way tie for second at 15 apiece. Bill White, an 11-time Calder meet champion, and Fred Warren are one more behind, tied for fifth with 14 wins each. However, in the other very meaningful statistical category of purse earnings at the session, Wolfson's purse earnings of $810,000 far exceeds Fawkes' second highest total of $480,000, with Dwoskin third at $387,000. Wolfson's 15 victories include 11 stakes, most recently a remarkable one-two-three-four finish last Saturday in the $55,000 Ema Bovary overnight stakes. HORSES TO WATCH Saturday (7/31) 6TH -- MISS MUFFIN (Alke) found a home on turf in her two previous starts, but moved up in class to find a very tough field and finished sixth with a wide trip. A little softer group and better use of her speed should help. 11TH -- LUNA GRANDE (Mass Media) missed the break as the favorite last out, finishing fifth, but has shown ability against proven runners. She deserves another chance in maiden special without being exposed for a claiming tag. Sunday (8/1) 9TH -- KIERNAN'S LEGACY (Perigee Moon) ran another very good race to finish second climbing up from the low claiming ranks and should win this condition in the near future. The winner, Gaucho (Ghostzapper), looks bound for stakes ranks.
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