Calder: Naked Greed pits dead-heat winners in rematch at shorter distance

Backseat Memories and Grand Tito dead-heated for a stakes win in their first meeting. The rematch is Saturday, when the horses break side-by-side in the $75,000 Naked Greed at Calder. The 7 1/2-furlong turf race for 3-year-olds is one of two stakes on the card. The $75,000 Crystal Rail is for 3-year-old fillies at the same trip, and will be the two-turn and turf debut for Grade 3 Azalea runner-up Dreaming of Susie.

Backseat Memories is arguably the most accomplished member of the Naked Greed field with a 6-for-11 career record that includes two stakes wins. His first came in the $51,000 Mambo Meister at Calder in May. Backseat Memories picked up his second in the $75,000 Showing Up at Gulfstream, when he hit the wire at the same time as Grand Tito in a 1 1/16-mile turf race run July 20.

“My horse, last time, he came back and we found he lost a nail in the front shoe,” said Humberto Toledo, who trains Backseat Memories. “That’s racing.”

Backseat Memories was a $25,000 claim by Toledo’s sister, Elena Arocha, at Gulfstream in February. He won that day, over the same distance on turf he will be shortening up to Saturday.

“He’s a horse that wants to go more distance,” Toledo said, “but the 7 1/2, the only time he ran over it he won, and I thought he was going to finish third. I didn’t think he was going to win. But he just blew by them. I think he knows what he has to do. He knows he has to come and get them.”

Backseat Memories will break from post 7, under Fernando Jara.

“There’s some speed in the race; that’s good for him,” said Toledo, who would like to see the horse advance to the Tropical Park Derby and Claiming Crown.

Grand Tito was making his first start against winners in the Showin Up, when he stalked the pace and prevailed. He is a son of Candy Ride and the Grade 2-winning mare Golden Arches. Jilver Chamafi has the mount from post 6 for Group 7C Racing Stable and trainer Antonio Sano.

◗ Dreaming of Susie gets good pedigree support for the two turns and turf in the Crystal Rail. Her sire, Cowtown Cat, won the Illinois Derby and is getting 21 percent winners from his first-time turf starters from a limited sample. Dreaming of Susie’s dam, meanwhile, has produced a turf winner in English Royal. Jara has the mount for Frank Calabrese and trainer Kirk Ziadie.