Gourmet Dinner, who won two divisions of the 2010 Florida Stallion Stakes series at Calder Casino & Race Course, returns to the track where he began his career for the $100,000 Spend A Buck Handicap (gr. III) Oct. 13.
Part of a stakes-packed day on Calder's "Festival of the Sun" program that includes the final rounds of the 2012 Florida Stallion Stakes, the Spend A Buck drew a solid field of eight. Gourmet Dinner makes his first appearance at Calder since finishing second in the 2010 FSS In Reality Division.
Owned by Our Sugar Bear Stable and starting for trainer David Braddy on Saturday, million-dollar earner Gourmet Dinner began his career by winning three of four starts at Calder as a juvenile. He followed his lone defeat over the track with a win in the $1 million Delta Jackpot (gr. III) at Delta Downs.
The son of Trippi exits a seventh-place performance at odds of 60-1 in the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course. In July, the 4-year-old prevailed in the $100,000 Majestic Light Stakes at Monmouth Park, his lone win from eight starts this year.
Gourmet Dinner, the 122-pound high weight, drew post 2 and will be reunited with rider Sebastian Madrid.
Cash Rules, a three-time stakes winner at Calder, comes off a head victory in the Darn That Alarm Handicap Sept. 1 over the south Florida track for trainer David Fawkes. Owned by Larry Fugate, the 5-year-old Peace Rules gelding has won six of his 11 lifetime starts at Calder with three seconds and a third. Regular rider Luis Saez takes the call and they will break from post 3.
Csaba , a four-time winner at Calder, was most recently seventh in the Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) at Parx Racing. The 3-year-old son of Kitten's Joy returns to Calder fto meet older horses for just the second time in his career. Manoel Cruz has the riding assignment from the far outside post. Casaba, who gets in with a feathery 113 pounds, will race without blinkers after stalking the pace and giving way in the Pennsylvania Derby.
Trained by Phil Gleaves, Csaba was last seen at Calder winning the El Kaiser Stakes by 8 1/4 July 21. He was shipped north for a three-race sojourn that included a second by a nose in the off-the-turf National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga Aug. 10.
Shivananda Racing’s Ducduc won a minor stakes Sept. 8 at Calder. Decisive Moment makes his first appearance since finishing fifth in Calder's Miami Mile Handicap April 21 on a sloppy track. Two Is to Many steps up off consecutive wins in allowance optional claiming company. Flatter This and Fair Whit complete the field.
$100,000 Spend A Buck Handicap (gr. III, Race 9, 4:17 p.m.), 3 & Up, 1 1/16 Miles
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Ducduc (KY), F Jara, 116, S Parbhoo
2. Gourmet Dinner (FL), S O Madrid, 122, J D Braddy
3. Cash Rules (FL), L Saez, 120, D Fawkes
4. Decisive Moment (FL), J M Rios, 116, J D Arias
5. Two Is to Many (KY), J C Leyva, 113, M H Carrasco
6. Flatter This (KY), A A Gallardo, 112, K O'Connell
7. Fair Whit (KY), W Martinez, 110, S Parbhoo
8. Csaba (KY), M R Cruz, 113, P A Gleaves
Blinkers Off: Csaba
Gourmet Dinner won the Majestic Light Stakes in July.
