[Kasept]

Millionaires It’s a Bird & Solder’s Dancer Lead Florida Million Cast

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Nov. 12, 2009) – Edmund Gann’s 6-year-old It’s a Bird and Herman Heinlein’s 5-year-old Soldier’s Dancer are multiple Graded-stales winners of more than $1 million each and will likely be favored in their respective races on Saturday’s Florida Million program at Calder Casino & Race Course.

It’s a Bird faces six rival older horses in the $200,000 Carl Rose Classic at 1 1/8 miles on the main track and Soldier’s Dancer will be odds-on in a field of eight drawn for the $150,000 Bonnie Heath Turf Cup at 1 1/8 miles on turf, two of eight races on the card restricted to Florida-breds with purses totaling $1.2 million.


It’s a Bird Bids to Get Back on Winning Track in Carl Rose

Jockey Julien Leparoux has ridden It’s a Bird in six of eight starts this year for trainer Marty Wolfson and comes to town after a career highlight performance at Santa Anita last weekend when the 26-year-old native of France won three Breeders’ Cup races over two days, earning the Bill Shoemaker Award for the event’s best rider.

It’s a Bird finished fourth behind Finallymadeit in the Carl Rose Classic last year before emerging among the nation’s leading handicap horses this season, beginning with a 5 ¼ lengths victory in the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park in late January.

The son of Birdonthewire went on to a six-length romp in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in early April and a hard-fought head victory in the Lone Star Handicap (G3) in May, although disqualified from the former. It’s a Bird bids to get back to his top form after tailing off later in the campaign, most recently finishing seventh of eight in the Meadowlands Cup (G2) on Oct. 16.

It’s a Bird is strictly the horse to beat if he returns to close to his best as he lines up against Rose Family Stable’s Hal’s My Hope, Jose Rivera II; Osed LLC’s Too Many Toyz, Carlos Olivero; Lewis Pell and Michael Eigner’s Imawildandcrazyguy, Eibar Coa; Ione and Herb Elkins’ Dream Maestro, Manoel Cruz; Jacqueline Tortora’s Pound Foolish, Luis Saez; and Vicino Racing’s Temo’s Dream, Joe Bravo.


Soldier’s Dancer Gets Chance for Redemption in Bonnie Heath

Jockey Manoel Cruz will be back aboard Soldier’s Dancer in the Bonnie Heath Turf Cup and will hope for a better day than they had last year when the roan/gray gelding by Lost Soldier was the even-money favorite in the race, but stumbled badly at the start and spilled the rider to the ground, fortunately neither injured in the incident.

Soldier’s Dancer has been a highly reliable performer over the last several campaigns for veteran horseman Dave Vivian while posting a record of 31-11-8-4 record for earnings of $1,413,780 and comes into Saturday’s race after a three-length score in the $250,000 Pennsylvania President’s Cup at Philadelphia Park on Sept. 19. He began the year with a victory in the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Turf at Santa Anita over Presious Passion.

Trainer Bill Kaplan has Imawildandcrazyguy, Temo’s Dream and Dream Maestro entered in the Carl Rose Classic and the first two of that trio also double-entered into the Bonnie Heath along with Teresa and James Remez’ 3-year-old gelding Livingston Street in the latter event as he ponders options.

Completing the field for the Bonnie Heath are Martin Cherry’s Pickapocket, Julien Leparoux; Santa Cruz Ranch’s Black Scorpion, Jose Rivera II; Isaac Muhtar’s Fearless Eagle, Joe Bravo; and Curtis Mikkelsen and Steve Dwoskin’s Mean Sax, Jeffrey Sanchez.


Annabill Back Home for a Third Start in Elmer Heubeck Distaff

Kenwood Racing LLC’s 6-year-old mare Annabill lost a heart-breaker nose decision in the $200,000 Elmer Heubeck Distaff on Florida Million day last year for co-owner and trainer Milt Wolfson, who claimed the daughter of Outflanker for $25,000 early in her career before earning more than $500,000; and was defending her 2007 title in the race when she scored over Bayou’s Lassie and Peach Flambe.

Wolfson sold Annabill privately this spring to Kenwood Racing and she spent the summer in New Jersey with trainer Steve DiMauro’s division there, most recently losing a nose decision when second in a tough allowance at Meadowlands on Oct. 16. Jockey Javier Santiago gets the call in a field of nine fillies and mares drawn for the 1 1/16 miles test.

The favorite’s role in the Elmer Heubeck may fall between Farnsworth Stable’s 5-year-old Jessica Is Back with Julien Leparoux in the saddle for trainer Marty Wolfson and Buongiorno a Tutti Stable’s 3-year-old filly Sweet Repent to be ridden by Manoel Cruz for trainer Ron Spatz.

Jessica Is Back is a chestnut daughter of Put It Back that got off to a poor start last out as the 7-to-10 favorite in a ‘money’ allowance over the track on Oct. 17 and finished third in her first start since a fourth-place effort in the Molly Pitcher Handicap (G2) at Monmouth Park in late August. She had rolled to a 5 ½ lengths victory in the Nancy’s Glitter Handicap here on July 25 in her previous outing.

Sweet Repent has gotten good winning her last two starts for Spatz as she defeated a solid field of older fillies and mares in an allowance on Aug. 28 and captured the Judy’s Red Shoes Stakes gamely by a nose after that race was forced off turf on Sept. 26.

Completing the field for the Elmer Heubeck are Lucille Geranis’ Cat Can Do, Luis Saez; John Prete’s Sweetsouthernqueen, Pedro Monterrey, Jr.; Tom and Helene Andreadakis’ Many Kisses, Jeffrey Sanchez; Ersoff Racing Stable’s Even Road, Eibar Coa; Just For Fun Stable’s One Proud Lady, Carlos Olivero; and David Ludwig and Desirae Potter’s Bob’s Jawbreaker, Joe Bravo.


Pashito the Che Invades for Jack Dudley Sprint

Tuna Stable and Off The Hook LLC’s 3-year-old Pashito the Che has won four of his last five starts for trainer Scott Lake, most recently posting a nose victory in the $250,000 Gallant Bob Handicap at Philadelphia Park on Oct. 10, and ships in from Delaware Park as one of the likely favorites in the $150,000 Jack Dudley Sprint at six furlongs.

Jockey Eibar Coa made the trip to Philadelphia for the Gallant Bob and gets the return call on the son of Flatter, who had won an overnight stakes on a ‘sloppy’ track at Belmont Park by 6 ½ lengths in his previous start on Sept. 27. The lightly-raced colt shows a record of 10-5-3-1.

Other contenders in the field of eight 3-year-olds and up include Jacqueline Tortora and Toni and Richard Ancona’s Hypocrite, Luis Saez; Jacks or Better Farm’s Honey Honey Honey, Jeffrey Sanchez; and Robert Gibson’s Trippbuster, Joe Bravo. Those three finished in that order in an Oct. 16 allowance over the track and distance, separated by a head and a head.


Juvenile Sprinters Clash in Jack Price & Joe O’Farrell

Trainer Todd Pletcher’s powerful stable will have its first starter of the fall/winter South Florida campaign as WinStar Farm’s 2-year-old colt Good to Be Seen challenges seven local rivals in the $150,000 Jack Price Juvenile at seven furlongs.

Eibar Coa picks up the mount on Good to Be Seen after the Montbrook colt broke his maiden last out by 3 ¼ lengths at the Meadowlands on Oct. 17 in his fourth start. In another good effort he lost a half-length decision to highly-regarded Aspire at Saratoga in August.

Leading the Calder home team in the Jack Price will be Farnsworth Stable and Kramer Stable’s Mr. Green with Julien Leparoux to ride for trainer Marty Wolfson and Gary Aiken’s Lucas Brady and Cecilio Penalba aboard for trainer Manny Azpurua. The latter posted a 26-to-1 upset over odds-on favorite Mr. Green in the Birdonthewire Stakes on Oct. 17.

A field of eight 2-year-old fillies is set for the $150,000 Joe O’Farrell at seven furlongs with Jacqueline Tortora and Toni and Richard Ancona’s Sweetlalabye and Rose Family Stable’s Joanie’s Catch turning back to a sprint distance after finishing one-two in that order in the $400,000 My Dear Girl Division finale of the Florida Stallion Stakes series on Festival of the Sun day, Oct. 17.


Juveniles Take to Turf in Arthur Appleton & John Franks

Completing the Florida Million day stakes line-up will be renewals of the $100,000 Arthur Appleton Juvenile Turf and $100,000 John Franks Juvenile Fillies, companion events to be run at 1 1/16 miles on grass, the latter restricted to fillies.

Three in the field of 12 drawn for the Arthur Appleton have shipped in for the race, led by Glen Hill Farm’s Family Foundation with Julien Leparoux picking up the mount for trainer Tom Proctor. The homebred gelding by Repriced finished a good third last out behind Interactif in the Bourbon Stakes (G3) at Keeneland on Oct. 17.

A wide-open field of 10 fillies will go in the John Franks with Team Valor International’s Winsockie among the favorites with Julien Leparoux to ride for trainer Mary Wolfson. The daughter of Trippi finished fifth last out in the My Dear Girl on the main track after breaking her maiden impressively by 4 ½ lengths going a mile on turf over the Calder turf course in her previous start.