Calder: Fort Loudon to face six in sweep attempt

MIAMI - Fort Loudon will face only six rivals, including his stablemate Argentine Tango, when he looks to complete a sweep of the open division of the 2011 Florida Stallion Stakes in Saturday’s $300,000 In Reality Stakes.

The 1 1/16-mile In Reality highlights the Festival of the Sun program that also includes the $300,000 My Dear Girl finales of the filly division of the Stallion Stakes, the Grade 3 Spend A Buck Handicap as well as the $75,000 Tropical Park Derby and its filly counterpart, the Frances Genter for 3-year-olds on the turf.

Fort Loudon has won three straight stakes: the Frank Gomez Memorial, Dr. Fager, and Affirmed, each of those wins coming at the direct expense of Argentine Tango. It is the same path taken by another Jacks or Better Farm homebred, Jackson Bend, who swept the stallion series in 2009.

Along with Fort Loudon and Argentine Tango, the field for the In Reality includes the steadily improving Burning Time, easy winner of the Foolish Pleasure in his last start, Soy Yo, Kings Over, Twin, and Sarava’s Dancer.

The My Dear Girl will feature a rematch between Queen Drama and Redbud Road, who finished a nose apart in that order in the seven-furlong Susan’s Girl six weeks earlier.

Mad Flatter, who posted a six-length victory over the odds-on Mambo Meister in the 2010 Spend A Buck, will return to defend his title. Mambo Meister, a distant seventh in the Grade 1 Woodward in his last start, will attempt to avenge that setback on Saturday. The remainder of the field consists of Sky Venture, Flatter This, Dinner in Odem, Rock Alex, and Stimulus Plan.