Drums of Thunder taking a class drop

MIAMI - After battling local leaders Straight Faced and Villainage in the opening legs of the Florida Stallion Stakes, Drums of Thunder will get some much-needed class relief he returns to the allowance ranks for Monday's $30,000 main event at Calder.

Weather permitting, Drums of Thunder will also get a surface change on Monday, with the entry level allowance race scheduled for five furlongs on the turf.

Drums of Thunder finished a troubled seventh over a wet track in the seven-furlong Affirmed Stakes and a well beaten fifth in the six-furlong Dr. Fager in his last two starts. A son of Concerto, Drums of Thunder began his career with an impressive maiden allowance victory and a second-place finish behind the undefeated Straight Faced in the Birdonthewire Stakes. Both those races were at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Drums of Thunder is the first foal of an unraced mare, so his ability to handle turf might be in question. That should not be the case for A Bit of Madness, who is a half-brother to four turf winners, including multiple grass stakes winners Sejms Madness and Magical Madness. A Bit of Madness also participated in the Florida Stallion series, finishing a well-beaten ninth in the Dr. Fager.

Brother Bud owns the highest Tomlinson Figure for grass in the field, being by Lite the Fuse out of a Tasso mare, but is coming off two poor efforts following an easy maiden win in June.

Definitely True also returns to the allowance ranks after finishing far back in both the Dr. Fager and Seacliff Stakes.

Joanne's Paulus was hard-used contesting the pace before finishing third under similar entry-level allowance conditions on the main track in his last start after encountering trouble at the break and finishing last of 13 in the Dr. Fager.

Plesa charges get mile works

Villainage, who figures to be among the top choices in the $400,000 In Reality Stakes on Oct. 14, worked a mile in 1:46.40 here Saturday for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr.

Stablemates Adrhythm and Snow Lady, leading contenders for the $400,000 My Dear Girl Stakes on the same day, also went a mile, in 1:45 and 1:46, respectively, on Saturday.

Snow Lady won the opening leg of the filly division of the Stallion Stakes, the six-furlong Desert Vixen, while Adrhythm captured the middle leg, the seven-furlong Susan's Girl.