My Charmer Heads Grand Slam I at Calder Saturday

Calder Race Course's Grand Slam I program Saturday offers four stakes worth $100,000 each, with the My Charmer Handicap (gr. IIIT) for fillies and mares featuring two grade I winners.

Swettenham Stud's 5-year-old mare Sand Springs won the Diana Handicap (gr. IT) at Saratoga this summer while Forging Oaks Farm's 4-year-old filly Ticker Tape captured the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (gr. IT) last fall at Keeneland.

Jockey Jerry Bailey rides Sand Springs for trainer Bill Mott and Jose Valdivia Jr. flies in from California along with English-bred Ticker Tape for the mount in the 1 1/8 miles turf test, which drew a field of 12.

Ticker Tape is lured to the race because of the situation at Hollywood Park, where the new turf course did not develop, forcing the track to cancel all its grass racing for the meet.

A daughter of Dynaformer, Sand Springs has been a major player in the division for the last couple of years with earnings of $1,264,000, but did not have a good day last out against male rivals in the $1.5 million NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT). She set the pace for the first half-mile under pressure over the 'good' course at Belmont Park before tiring to 11th of 12.

Ticker Tape is one of three stakes runners flown in from Santa Anita for the Grand Slam card by veteran trainer Jim Cassidy. Ticker Tape has chased Eclipse Award contender Intercontinental in her last two starts, including a close-up third in the Palomar Handicap (gr. IIT) at Del Mar in September.

Other accomplished runners in the My Charmer include Green Hills Farm's Spotlight and G. Howard Spink's Snowdrops, both trained by Christophe Clement; Emory Hamilton's La Reina from trainer Shug McGaughey's barn; and Michael Tabor's Path of Thunder from the Todd Pletcher stable.

The entries, in post order, with weight assignment, and jockey:
1 Skip Command, 113, Eduardo Nunez
2 Sand Springs, 121, Jerry Bailey
3 Fin, 112, Chantal Sutherland
4 Silver Lace, 113, Shaun Bridgmohan
5 Spotlight, 115, Ramon Dominguez
6 Formal Miss, 115, Janio Cruz
7 Snowdrops, 115, Brice Blanc
8 Pattiano, 114, Richard Bracho
9 Elle Runaway, 114, Eddie Castro
10 Ticker Tape, 117, Jose Valdivia Jr.
11 Path of Thunder, 114, Christopher DeCarlo
12 La Reina, 116, Mike Smith

Runnin Horse Farm's 5-year-old gelding Hotstufanthensome, by Awesome Again  , who won the Cliff Hanger Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Meadowlands in his last start by 14 1 /2 lengths for trainer Norman Pointer, will find the competition a bit deeper in a full field of 12 set for the $100,000 Tropical Turf Handicap (gr. IIIT).

Jockey Rajiv Maragh gets a return call on 'Hotstuf' in the 1 1/8-mile turf race, although the favorite's role may go to Peter Vegso's 5-year-old Silver Tree with Jerry Bailey or Peter Karches and Charles and Susan Harris' 5-year-old Saint Stephen with Joe Bravo getting the call.

Silver Tree is a homebred son of Hennessy trained by Bill Mott who finished second last out as the 11-to-10 favorite in the Bonnie Heath Turf Cup on Florida Million day over the course and distance of the Tropical turf Nov. 12.

Silver Tree finished second in the Bernard Baruch Handicap (gr. IIT) and Fourstardave Handicap (gr. IIT) this summer at Saratoga, beaten a by Artie Schiller in the former and Leroidesanimeaux in the latter.

Saint Stephen is a son of Saint Ballado trained by Christophe Clement and makes his first start since a sixth-place effort in the Manhattan Handicap (gr. IT) on Belmont Stakes day after winning his three previous starts at Gulfstream Park and Belmont.

The entries, in post order, with weight assignment, and jockey:
1 Supervisor, 112, Aurelio Toribio Jr.
2 Hotstufanthensome, 118, Rajiv Maragh
3 Stormy Ray, 113, Brice Blanc
4 Settle Up, 112, Mike Smith
5 Noble Masterpiece, 114, Jose Valdivia Jr.
6 Silver Tree, 116, Jerry Bailey
7 Saint Stephen, 114, Joe Bravo
8 Icy Atlantic, 113, Ramon Dominguez
9 Cointreau, 112, Shaun Bridgmohan
10 Keep Cool, 113, Jose Alberto Rivera II
11 Demeteor, 114, Jorge Chavez
12 Bob's Proud Moment, 112, Manoel Cruz
AE Whos Crying Now, 110, Manoel Cruz

Two other stakes will be run on the card:

What a Pleasure Stakes, 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 mile
1 Big Lover, 115, Jorge Chavez
2 Rehoboth, 115, Kristi Chapman
3 Saint Augustus, 119, Ramon Dominguez
4 First Movement, 119, Jose Velez Jr.
5 Changing Weather, 119 , Joe Bravo
6 Flanders Fields, 119, Jerry D. Bailey
7 Electrify, 119, Eddie Castro

Three Ring Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 mile
1 Golden Silk, 118, Jose Valdivia Jr.
2 Capozzene, 118, Jerry Bailey
3 Secret Brook, 114, Cornelio Velasquez
4 El Bank Robber, 116, Jorge Chavez
5 Stolen Prayer, 114, Eddie Castro
6 Mia's Reflection, 121, Carlos Olivero