Calder: Dr. Fager, Desert Vixen kick off Florida Stallion Stakes

The six-furlong Dr. Fager and its filly counterpart, the Desert Vixen, highlight Saturday’s card at Calder Race Course, along with the $75,000 Nancy’s Glitter Handicap for older fillies and mares. The $75,000 Dr. Fager, for 2-year-olds, and the $75,000 Desert Vixen, for 2-year-old fillies, are the first legs of the Florida Stallion Stakes series.

Trainer David Faskes will send out 3 of the 10 prospective starters in the Dr. Fager. Fawkes’s trio, all of whom are maidens, is led by Steve, who finished a wide-running second when backed to 4-5 for his career debut three weeks earlier. Fawkes also sends Moonwalker and Trapnall Hall in the Dr. Fager.

My Brown Eyed Guy and Copa Del Rey, first and second after contesting all the pace in a well-graded maiden special weight dash just two weeks earlier, could vie for favoritism in the Dr. Fager. Trained by Kathleen O’Connell, My Brown Eyed Guy is one of only two members of the field to have won a maiden race, along with Party in the Sky, who graduated under a $25,000 claiming tag in his only start.

Best Plan Yet, a late-running fourth making his career debut in the Frank Gomez Memorial, also figures to attract plenty of wagering support while adding blinkers for his second start.

Only 3 of the 8 fillies in the six-furlong Desert Vixen are winners, including Scandalous Act, who registered an impressive six-length victory in her debut but then finished a troubled seventh in the J J’sdream Stakes in her only other start. She’ll be joined in the gate by her O’Connell-trained stablemate In Luv With Willie, who is winless in two tries but is coming off a late-running second in the J J’sdream.

Holiday Magic was an impressive 3 1/2-length maiden winner in her only start and is one of two fillies trainer Bill Kaplan will send out in the Desert Vixen along with Golden Friendships.

Angelica Zapata will return to her favorite surface and is likely to be favored over six others in the one-mile Nancy’s Glitter. Angelica Zapata, who ran off four consecutive main-track stakes wins at Calder last season, rallied to finish third, beaten a neck, in the grassy Hollywood Wildcat at Calder on July 6.

My Pal Chrisy placed in a Grade 1 stakes for the first time earlier this month when rallying to finish a non-threatening third in the six-furlong Princess Rooney Handicap, but remains winless since capturing the Elmer Heubeck Distaff Handicap at Calder in November.