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CALDER NOTEBOOK AUGUST 20, 2010 "Lightning" on Friday the Thirteenth It wasn't stormy on Friday, August 13, at Calder Casino & Race Course, but the Teletimer by late afternoon was recording lightning-fast times not often run by the very best horses to compete over the widely-acclaimed safe, but not very glib main track. Trainer Marty Wolfson sent out Stud El Aguila's homebred colt DON TITO (Trippi) for his second career start in the eighth race after a fourth-place debut in July and the Florida-bred chestnut drew off to score by 6 1/4 lengths under leading jockey Luis Saez, recording six furlongs over the "fast" track in 1:10:50. While the track record for the distance is 1:08:95 set by Forty One Carats in 2000, months can go by without a horse shading 1:11. In fact, only one of the four winners of the graded stakes run at six furlongs this year on the rich Summit of Speed program, July 10, was clocked faster than 1:11, with top-class sprinter Big Drama (Montbrook) going in 1:10:83. Don Tito remains a horse to watch in the future, but conditions that afternoon were remarkable. Juvenile Showcase Next Saturday An annual highlight at Calder each season is the Juvenile Showcase program and this year's edition will be held next Saturday (August 28). The card features all two-year-old races, including six $100,000 stakes events led by the Affirmed and Susan's Girl divisions of the Florida Stallion Stakes (FSS) series at seven furlongs. Jacks or Better Farms' homebred filly Awesome Feather (Awesome of Course) will be the favorite and horse to beat in the Susan's Girl after winning all three previous starts at the meet for trainer Stanley Gold, most recently the $75,000 Desert Vixen division of the FSS series on August 7 by 4 3/4 lengths. Jacks or Better and Gold also will be well-represented in the Affirmed with homebred colts Grande Shores (Black Mambo) and Alley Oop Oop (Monsieur Cat), the former still a maiden after five starts but four times second, including a half-length defeat last out in the $75,000 Dr. Fager division of the FSS after he appeared to have the race won. Grand Shores is a half-brother to Jackson Bend (Hear No Evil), who represented the same connections when sweeping the three "open" divisions last year. Two questions remain for the Affirmed: first, if Sugar Bear Stable's Gourmet Dinner (Trippi), winner of the Dr. Fager for trainer Peter Gulyas, comes back in this race or is sent to Saratoga for a richer, more ambitious chance in the $250,000 Hopeful S. (G1) on September 6; second, if Harold Queen's Little Drama (Burning Roma), the 1-to-2 favorite in the Dr. Fager, can bounce back from a dull sixth-place performance over the "sloppy" track that day for trainer David Fawkes. Rounding out the stakes line-up of $100,000 events to be run on Showcase day are renewals of the Seacliff and Lindsay Frolic, companion races at one mile around two turns, the latter for fillies; and Fasig-Tipton Turf Dash and Catcharisingstar at five furlongs on turf, the latter for fillies. Trainer Wesley Ward will have a pair of fresh players for the two turf sprints after having shipped a pair of fillies he owns from other divisions after breaking their maidens last out. Aroyalsweet (Chapel Royal) broke her maiden at Woodbine on April 25 and No More Yogi's (Salt Lake) won at Monmouth Park on June 11. Both are eligible for both turf dashes. HORSES TO WATCH Friday (8/13) 2ND -- THE WACO KID (Mass Media) was virtually eliminated after being checked sharply shortly after the start, but rallied to just miss taking the place from his Kathleen O' Connell-trained stablemate. The Waco Kid showed sharp improvement from a dull debut after another poor start 8TH -- CZECH MASTER (Songandaprayer) nearly missed the break, was rushed up close to the leaders nearing the turn, but faded and was not abused finishing last of eight in his career debut. He is a homebred out of a mare that produces fast horses with a top outfit and deserves another chance. Sunday (8/15) 12TH -- IMAWILDANDCRAZYGUY (Wild Event) is a six-year-old gelding that is literally "fun to watch" as he will most likely trail early and make some kind of rally into the stretch. The charismatic roan/gray famously finished fourth behind Street Sense in 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1), beaten a half-length for third by eventual Horse of the Year Curlin. He finished third in Sunday's race going a mile, a distance short of his best trip.
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