Four graded stakes races worth a total of $500,000 will highlight Saturday's Grand Slam II program at Calder Race Course, featuring star-studded fields with many of the nation's leading trainers and jockeys in action.
Saturday's four stakes races are the Grade II, $150,000 La Prevoyante Handicap; the Grade II, $150,000 W.L. McKnight Handicap; the Grade III, $100,000 Fred W. Hooper Handicap and the Grade III $100,000 Chaposa Springs Handicap.
Calder will also offer an all-stakes pick four wager with a guaranteed $100,000 pool. Calder offered a similar wager on Grand Slam I earlier this month and the bet generated a handle of over $350,000 and returned over $6,000 for a $1 wager.
Among the top riders accepting mounts on the Saturday program are Pat Day, Jerry Bailey, Jorge Chavez, Edgar Prado, Jose Santos, Robbie Davis, Mike Smith and John Velazquez.
The rich Calder races could well determine the outcome of the 2000 jockeys' purse money title. The current leader is Pat Day with $17,450,208, less than $100,000 more than Jerry Bailey's total of $17,355,995.
Calder will conclude its present meet with the $100,000 Tropical Park Derby (gr. III) on New Year's Day, and the $100,000 Tropical Park Oaks on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
