Carl Spackler gets a mulligan in Kelso
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Carl Spackler had his connections and horseplayers talking to themselves when he finished fifth as the favorite in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes here last month.
Saturday, Carl Spackler will try to rebound from that non-effort when he takes on just four rivals in the Grade 3, $175,000 Kelso Stakes, scheduled for one mile on the inner turf.
Carl Spackler had won four of his first six starts, including three straight stakes entering the Poker. A seemingly menacing presence at the quarter pole, Carl Spackler came up empty in the stretch and finished fifth, 2 3/4 lengths behind Ice Chocolat.
Trainer Chad Brown said he had several horses that figured to run well not show up on the turf during the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
“For whatever reason, I had horses that had run well here before not run well and I can’t explain why,” Brown said. “I even had some allowance horses that were training super, and it’s almost impossible they could have run that badly.
“Maybe it was too early in the season and something didn’t feel right with that turf course and you could draw a line through some of those races and they can get back on track. But that was a real head-scratcher because I loved him going into the race.”
Before the Poker, Carl Spackler was 2 for 2 at Saratoga, including a victory in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes.
Mysterious Night finished seventh to Carl Spackler in last year’s Hall of Fame in his first start in North America. Last month, he finished second in the Poker, having to wait for running room in the stretch and making a good run to get second by a head over Talk of the Nation when he got free.
“He ran in America last year, which wasn’t a great experience,” trainer Charlie Appleby said. “That first run in America you’ve got to sort of use it as a learning experience for our European horses. He did that last year, he went into Saratoga this year in good order and a ran a good solid race and has come out very well. He should be a live player in the Kelso.”
Flavien Prat rides Mysterious Night from post 2.
Northern Invader finished fourth in the Grade 3 Arlington Stakes on June 1 after a good-looking allowance win at Keeneland in April.
“I don’t think he handled the surface that well at Churchill – it wasn’t for all horses,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “It had moisture in the ground that day. There were a couple of things that didn’t work in his favor.”
Jose Ortiz rides Northern Invader from post 3.
Talk of the Nation was second to Carl Spackler in the Opening Verse at Churchill and third, beaten one length, in the Poker. He figures to be on or near the lead under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Call Me Harry, fourth in a second-level allowance, completes the field on turf. Repo Rocks is entered for the main track.
With such a short field, the Kelso is carded as race 2.
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