Carl Spackler rebounds with victory over Talk of the Nation in Kelso Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Carl Spackler bounced back from his disappointing effort in last month’s Grade 3 Poker Stakes with a hard-fought, half-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $162,750 Kelso Stakes at Saratoga.

In a field of four, Carl Spackler, under Tyler Gaffalione, sat second, stalking the pacesetting Talk of the Nation through modest fractions of 24.47 seconds for the quarter, 48.92 for the half and 1:12.18 for six furlongs.

Carl Spackler crept up alongside Talk of the Nation, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., at the quarter pole and the two duked it out through the lane before Carl Spackler edged clear late. Talk of the Nation, beaten a head by Carl Spackler in the Opening Verse Stakes on May 2 at Churchill, settled for second, 3 3/4 lengths clear of Northern Invader. Call Me Harry, who broke on top before being taken back by Luis Saez, finished last. Mysterious Night, the morning-line favorite, was scratched.

Though the victory looked hard-earned, Gaffalione said he felt confident throughout the stretch battle with Talk of the Nation.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

“My horse fired big for me, at no point was I really too concerned,” Gaffalione said. “He was traveling well within himself most of the race and when I called on him he really kept digging in and honestly he kept finding more. I don’t think he was all-out at the wire today.”

Carl Spackler, an Irish-bred son of Lope de Vega owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, covered the mile in 1:34.72 and returned $3.50 as the favorite.

Trainer Chad Brown was puzzled why Carl Spackler ran below form in the Poker.

“In hindsight, maybe he bounced a little off the Churchill race because he had a challenging trip in there and he was able to gut it out off a long layoff,” Brown said. “I didn’t react to the result, I got back to his normal training routine and he redeemed himself nice today and Tyler rode a beautiful race.”

The Kelso is positioned to be a steppingstone to the Grade 1 Fourstardave on Aug. 10. Brown said he would point Carl Spackler to that race, but pay closer attention to how he bounces out of this race before firmly committing.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.