Michele Blanco
Calder Race Course

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Our Sugar Bear Stable’s 2-year-old colt Gourmet Dinner remains undefeated after winning the $100,000 Affirmed Division of the Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday during the track’s annual Juvenile Showcase program.

Ridden by Sebastian Madrid in all three of his races to date, Gourmet Dinner collared the pacesetting Rough’n Royal in the final sixteenth of a mile in the seven-furlong race to win by 2½ lengths and get the distance in 1:25.69.  Rough’n Royal finished 3 ½ lengths ahead of Vee’s Accolade in third.

At the mutuel windows, Gourmet Dinner paid $3.60 and $2.20.  There was no show wagering.

Trained by Peter Gulyas, Gourmet Dinner is now in position to become the eighth horse in history to sweep the open division of the Florida Stallion Stakes.  The Affirmed is the second of three races for 2 year olds that comprise the Florida Stallion Stakes open division.  There is also a filly division.  The third race of the open series is the $375,000 estimated purse In Reality division at 1 1/16 miles on Festival of the Sun day, Oct. 16.

Winning trainer’s quotes: Bill Terrill (co-breeder and owner of Gourmet Dinner) – “It looked like he had quite a lot to do when he was last down the backstretch, but he’s a good horse and got there. It looked like Braddy’s horse (Rough’n Royal) still had plenty left turning for home and wasn’t giving up. I co-bred the horse with Mike O’Farrell (Ocala Stud) and we’re both in business to breed and sell horses, but I couldn’t let him go for $40,000. I thought he was worth at least $60,000, so I took him home. We seriously considered taking him to Saratoga where I’ve got some other horses for the Hopeful (Sept. 6), but he was doing so well here and worked good after his last race, we decided to stay, particularly with the big one still coming up ($375,000 In Reality finale on Oct. 16.) It’s seven weeks until then. We’ll probably nominate to the race in between and run him if we think he needs to. He needs to stay busy.”

Winning jockey’s quotes: Sebastian Madrid – “This horse can really run and he’s going to be even tougher to beat when he goes two turns next time out.  He just takes a while to get himself going, but when he does, he fires in a big way.”

(Note: The Affirmed was Madrid’s second stakes victory of the day, having ridden Machisa to win the Fasig-Tipton Turf Dash earlier on the card.  He also won Saturday’s fourth race.)

Blue Eyed Sweetie Sets Stakes Record in Lindsay Frolic

Gilbert Campbell’s homebred 2-year-old filly Blue Eyed Sweetie made her ‘two-turn’ debut a winning one when defeating Delightful Dawn by 6 ¼ lengths in the one-mile $100,000 Lindsay Frolic Stakes at Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday, Juvenile Showcase day.  It was another three lengths back to Beso Grande in third place.

Trained by Kathleen O’Connell and ridden by Manoel Cruz, Blue Eyed Sweetie set the stakes record for the Lindsay Frolic after running the mile in 1:40.96.  The Florida-bred returned $4.60, $3.40, and $2.60 at the mutuel windows.

Winning trainer’s quotes: Kathleen O’Connell — “The boss (owner-breeder Gilbert Campbell) and I always talk about these decisions (to run in Lindsay Frolic or Susan’s Girl). Everybody in this horse’s family goes a distance, so we chose this spot. I was confident that she would get the distance and now we know. She’s a good feeling filly, and with seven weeks to the big one ($375,000 My Dear Girl finale on Oct. 16), we’ll seriously consider in running in the race before that ($85,000 Brave Raj Stakes on Sept. 25).”

Winning jockey’s quotes: Manoel Cruz – “I could’ve let her go to the lead at any time.  Halfway down the backstretch I could tell the pace was too slow and I gave her her head and from then on should she just powered home.  I was easing her up coming to the wire.”

About Lindsay Frolic: A daughter of the prolific broodmare Cherokee Frolic, Lindsay Frolic, herself, became a successful dam after a multiple stakes winning career on the racetrack.  Highlights of her racing career include victories in the Sabin Handicap (G3) at Gulfstream Park and the Powder Break Handicap and Judy’s Red Shoes Stakes at Calder.  Trained by Milton Wolfson for Stride Rite Racing Stable, Lindsay Frolic was bred by Cherokee Farms in Florida.  Her offspring include Stormy Frolic, Super Frolic and Gallant Frolic.

Awesome Feather Continues to Impress: Wins Susan’s Girl to Remain Undefeated

Jacks or Better Farm’s homebred 2-year-old filly Awesome Feather won her fourth consecutive race to stay undefeated when taking the $100,000 Susan’s Girl Division of the Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday, Juvenile Showcase day.

Awesome Feather defeated Cristal Jak by four lengths and completed the seven furlongs in 1:24.57 over a fast track.  It was 8¾ lengths back to Silverest in third.  The heavy favorite, Awesome Feather returned $2.20 and $2.10.  There was no show wagering.

Trained by Stanley Gold, Awesome Feather is now in position to become just the third filly in history to sweep the female division of the Florida Stallion Stakes.  The Susan’s Girl is the second of three races for 2-year-old fillies that comprise the Florida Stallion Stakes female division.  There is also an open division.  The third race of the filly series is the $375,000 estimated purse My Dear Girl division at 1 1/16 miles on Festival of the Sun day, Oct. 16.

Winning trainer/breeder’s quotes: Fred Brei (owner-breeder of Awesome Feather) – “She just does what she has to, like she did again today. She’s a real homebred like Jackson Bend last year. We raced her sire (Awesome of Course) and dam (Precious Feather), although I didn’t breed her. I bought her as a yearling. She was a stakes-winner for us (Graded stakes-placed, too) and now she’s making it as a broodmare. We’ll just train (Awesome Feather) up to the big race ($375,000 My Dear Girl finale on Oct. 16), and then hopefully, on to the Breeders’ Cup ($2 million Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5).”

Winning jockey’s quotes: Jeffrey Sanchez – “This filly impresses me more and more each time I ride her.  Today she did it all on her own, I was just along for the ride.  That’s the great thing about her, she’s so easy to ride.  I let her move up close to the filly on the lead (Cristal Jak) just to keep my filly in position, and then she just did the rest herself.”

Calder celebrates its long-standing reputation for top-notch 2-year-old racing with a day dedicated entirely to it: the Juvenile Showcase.  Horses that raced at Calder as juveniles and later went on to become national champions include: Brave Raj, Cherokee Run, Hollywood Wildcat, Holy Bull, Jewel Princess, Not Surprising, Princess Rooney, Smile, Spend A Buck, and Unbridled.

About Susan’s Girl: A three-time national champion, Susan’s Girl was the leading 3-year-old filly in 1972 and the champion older filly/mare of 1973 and 1975.  A Florida-bred millionaire, Susan’s Girl won the Santa Maria, Santa Margarita, Santa Barbara, Apple Blossom, and Long Beach handicaps, as well as the Matchmaker and Spinster Stakes.  Much like her owner and breeder, Fred W. Hooper, Susan’s Girl will always be remembered as a true champion.