A field of seven 3-year-olds will contest the 1 1/8-mile event on the main track.
Owned in partnership by Rick Pitino and Clint Glasscock, Buffalo Man won five of his first seven career starts before reportedly suffering a condylar fracture, just days after winning the Feb. 12 OBS Championship Stakes at Ocala Training Center. He was shelved by trainer Cam Gambolati, until returning to the racetrack Nov. 1, running a game second in the Wild Again Stakes at Aqueduct.
A son of El Prado, out of Saratoga Six mare Perfect Six, Buffalo Man has captured three stakes in his eight-start career. He is 0-for-2 in graded competition, including a three-quarters length defeat last year in the Sapling (gr. III) at Monmouth.
Bred by Adena Springs, Buffalo Man has been working at Monmouth. He will carry a race-high 120 pounds for Joe Bravo and leave from post two.
Major competition could come in the form of Now a Victor, who has been impressive in all three career starts. By Yankee Victor, the bay colt broke his maiden this summer at Saratoga, then won his first try in allowance company Sept. 30 at Belmont Park, doing it by three lengths while stalking the pace.
After taking a narrow lead into the stretch in the Oct. 27 Pegasus Stakes (gr. III) on Breeders’ Cup day, Now a Victor was out-finished by just a neck in the 1 1/8-mile test in the slop. Trained by Michael Trombetta, Now a Victor will get John Velazquez for the first time and break from post seven.
After trying graded stakes competition without success in his last three efforts, Four Roses Thoroughbreds’ Helsinki will be looking to finally break through. The son of Distorted Humor was fourth in the Pegasus, after placing third in both the Aug. 25 Travers Stakes (gr. I) and Brooklyn Handicap (gr. II).
Trained by Nick Zito, Helsinki has just two wins in nine starts, and has not hit the winner’s circle since scoring in allowance company in June at Delaware Park.
Florida-bred Notice Me Now has won five times since being claimed by Roy and Alma Lomas in May, all of them coming at Calder. His first start outside the Sunshine State came Nov. 7 on the Aqueduct turf in the Volponi Stakes. It was a fifth-place finish.
PP. Horse, Weight, Jockey
1. Shopton Lane (FL), 115, Charles C. Lopez
2. Buffalo Man (ON), 120, Joe Bravo
3. Helsinki (KY), 117, Cornelio H. Velasquez
4. Notice Me Now (FL), 114, Alan Garcia
5. Dr. V's Magic (NY), 116, Eibar Coa
6. Port Royal (KY), 110, Channing Hill
7. Now a Victor (KY), 118, John R. Velazquez
