Csaba has enjoyed success at Calder Race Course and is a top contender for the Spend a Buck Handicap (G3).
As a Grade 3 race with a purse of $100,000, is it highly unlikely that Calder’s Spend a Buck Handicap will produce any Breeders’ Cup participants, but the race is competitive nonetheless. Eight horses are scheduled to travel 1 1/16 miles on dirt in Saturday’s event.
With nearly $1.1 million in the bank, Gourmet Dinner is the “class” of the field. Overmatched in the Woodward Stakes (G1) at Belmont last out, he returns to Calder Race Course, where he owns three wins and a second from four tries. He earned most of his money by winning the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (G3) at age two, and his form has been inconsistent since.
Cash Rules is enjoying a fine season, and he has won six of 11 career starts at Calder, including his last two. He has tactical speed, and a big heart.
A turf horse by trade, Ducduc has found a second home on dirt in recent starts. Consistency has not been on his side on that surface, but he does swing back off a sharp win, and if a fast pace heats up, he could make his presence felt late, at a price.
Decisive Moment enjoyed a solid sophomore season, depositing $400,000 into his account along the way in 2011. This spring’s racing wasn’t all that productive, as he failed to hit the board from four tries. He returns fresh off a six-month break, and could be a major force, if trainer Juan Arias has him sharp enough.
The 3-year-old Csaba destroyed the field in the local El Kaiser Stakes in July, and returned to just miss in the off-the-turf Hall of Fame (G2) at Saratoga Race Course, a race run on a sloppy track. His most recent run in the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) was a bit of a disappointment, but he did run in spots and may not have handled that quirky track. Of the horses entered here, he may have the most upside.
My selections:
Csaba
Decisive Moment
Cash Rules
Gourmet Dinner
$100,000 Spend a Buck Handicap (G3)
Saturday, Calder Race Course, Race 9, 4:17 p.m. EDT
3-year-olds & older, 1 1/16 Miles (dirt)
|
PP |
Horse |
Jockey |
Weight |
Trainer |
|
1 |
Ducduc (KY) |
F Jara |
116 |
S Parbhoo |
|
2 |
Gourmet Dinner (FL) |
S O Madrid |
122 |
J D Braddy |
|
3 |
Cash Rules (FL) |
L Saez |
120 |
D Fawkes |
|
4 |
Decisive Moment (FL) |
J M Rios |
116 |
J D Arias |
|
5 |
Two Is to Many (KY) |
J C Leyva |
113 |
M H Carrasco |
|
6 |
Flatter This (KY) |
A A Gallardo |
112 |
K O'Connell |
|
7 |
Fair Whit (KY) |
W Martinez |
110 |
S Parbhoo |
|
8 |
Csaba (KY) |
M R Cruz |
113 |
P A Gleaves |
