Extreme double pays $29.20

MIAMI - On what day can the fifth race end before the fourth and nobody seems to care? On Extreme Day, of course.

The innovative folks at Calder Racecourse did it again on Saturday, pulling off Extreme Day II without a hitch, much to the delight of a crowd of 7,195 who came out to watch a 13-race program that included two races run simultaneously and another contested clockwise on the turf course.

Extreme Day II was a late addition to the 2006 Calder calendar after track management was forced to cancel the World's Fastest Daily Double and King George's Wrong Way Stakes because of rain and unfavorable conditions on the turf course during Extreme Day I in July.

The Fastest Daily Double consisted of a first-level allowance race on the grass, listed as the fourth event on the card, and a bottom-priced maiden claimer at five furlongs on the main track as the fifth race of the day. And other than the sprint concluding about 30 seconds before the turf race, the simultaneous races were decided with nary a mishap.

Tiger Woodman ($6.80) rallied from off the pace to register a 1 1/4-length victory over a game Sir Silver Fox on the grass under a well-judged ride by Elvis Trujillo. He joined Cutie's Cloud ($7.40), an easy 4 3/4-length winner over Auspicious Girl, to complete the double, which paid $29.20.

Form also held up well in the $45,000 King George's Wrong Way II Stakes after Joey Blueeyes ($3.80) led most of the way and then turned back a late surge from Bogangles to post a one-length decision under jockey Daniel Centeno. The winner did not corner as well going clockwise as he usually does counterclockwise, racing well off the rail around all three turns, but was still good enough to register his fifth victory of the year.

"Operationally the day was a big success," said Calder's president, Ken Dunn, following the conclusion of the King George's Wrong Way Stakes. "I think the people who were here truly enjoyed the spectacle of seeing two races run at the same time. And I was very pleased that the very different and potentially difficult operation procedures all went well. The television department did a particularly terrific job, as did our track announcer, Bobby Newman, who gave a fantastic call of two races at the same time."

Dunn said Extreme Day III is already in the planning for 2007.

"We've got another Extreme Day penciled in for late July in 2007," said Dunn. "I don't think an event like this has a very long shelf life unless our marketing department can come up with some new, unique events to try, although we've already been contacted by one other racetrack interested in running a similar card."

The King George's Wrong Way II was one of five stakes races decided on Extreme Day II. The best of the other stakes was the $50,000 Wicapi at 1 1/2 miles, which went to Spider Power, who ran down the pacesetting favorite, Ramazutti, to register a 1 1/4-length decision under Joe Bravo.

Spider Power ($8.20), a 3-year-old son of Royal Applause trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, rallied from near the rear of the pack to overtake the leader in late stretch. Ramazutti was hard pressed on the front end from the outset, shook off Islero Noir into the stretch, but could not withstand the winner.

* Rain Song ($3.40) successfully defended the title she easily captured on Extreme Day I by returning to win the two-furlong Rocket Man Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths for trainer Michael Trombetta and jockey Abel Castellano Jr. J Town finished second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of He's My Man.

* Bravo won his second stakes of the day when he guided Prince Alphie ($4.20) from just off the pace to a three-length decision in the $45,000 Gray Pride Stakes. Robbies Charm was easily second-best, checking home a similar margin ahead of third-place Paul B. Jones.

* Boston invader Kipper's Night ($8) rallied from off a hotly contested pace to outfinish longshot Mynavigator by a neck to win the $45,000 Methuselah Stakes for 5-year-olds and up. Elvis Trujillo rode the winner for trainer James Hartley. Bodgiteer, another Suffolk Downs shipper, finished a disappointing fifth as the 8-5 favorite.