Jockey Jerry Bailey, who has broken his own North American purse earnings record with more than $23.3 million and eclipsed the one-year total for stakes wins, will be aboard a pair of favorites in stakes Saturday at Calder Race Course, where his remarkable 2003 season began. With a sweep of the three major Graded stakes run on Nov. 29 at Aqueduct, including the Cigar Mile (gr. I) on Congaree, Bailey ran his 2003 total to 70 stakes victories, two more than the 68 ridden by Mike Smith in 1984.Bailey rides favorites Silver Wagon and Chatter Chatter on the Grand Slam I card at Calder Saturday. A third opportunity will be aboard Holy Bubbette in the Chaposa Springs Handicap (gr. III).
Bailey, who rides sparingly during December, scored his first stakes victory this year on New Year's Day when he rode Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Nothing to Lose to victory in the Tropical Park Derby (gr. III) for trainer D. Wayne Lukas.