Christmas Stocking, Up an Octave Take Calder Juvenile Stakes

Christmas Stocking beat Sprightly by three-quarters of a length in the $100,000 Cherokee Frolic Stakes, one of two turf stakes races for 2-year-olds at Calder Race Course on Saturday.

In the Cherokee Frolic for 2-year-old fillies, Michael Dubbs' Christmas Stocking, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:45 2/5 on a good track and paid $6.60, $4.40, and $4.40.

Sprightly returned $12.20 and $8.60, and Warrior Girl, who finished a neck behind the runner-up, paid $14.80 to show.

Claimed for $25,000 at Delaware Park in September by trainer Anthony Dutrow, it was the second consecutive win for Christmas Stocking, who broke her maiden in her last start, a maiden special on the grass last month at Laurel Park. The gray filly is a Maryland-bred by Ops Smile out of the Valley Crossing mare Christmas Shoes.

In the $100,000 Kris S. Stakes for 2-year-olds, Up an Octave closed with a rush and beat favorite Yankee Master by a head.

Vinery Stable's Up an Octave, ridden by Chris DeCarlo, covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44 and paid $17, $3.80, and $2.20.

Yankee Master returned $2.60 and $2.10, and Mr. Silver, 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner, paid $2.40.

Mr. Silver set all the pace in the 1 1/16 miles turf stakes and did not relinquish the lead until deep stretch, where it appeared that the 3-to-5 post time favorite Yankee Master had the race all but won before bearing out. Up an Octave rallied strongly down the lane in between those two to get to the finish line just in time.

Todd Pletcher trains Up an Octave, a 2-year-old Kentucky-bred bay colt by Brahms from the Time for a Change mare Afleet Change.