Promising 'Runner' in return

B L's a Runner, who displayed a great deal of promise in his four starts at 2, makes his much-anticipated 3-year-old debut against a formidable group in Friday's $45,000 Naked Greed Stakes at Calder. The six-furlong overnight dash drew a field of eight.

won his debut by 7 1/2 lengths and an entry-level allowance by 4 1/2 lengths here last year. His only two losses came in stakes dominated by division leader In Summation - a fifth-place finish in the Birdonthewire Stakes and a second-place effort in the six-furlong Dr. Fager.

Trainer Larry Pilotti sent B L's a Runner to the sidelines following the Dr. Fager on Aug. 13. A homebred son of B L's Appeal, B L's a Runner has been in serious training at his home base of Calder for quite some time, with four bullet works on the resume dating back to March 11. Elvis Trujillo will be aboard the speedster for the first time in the Naked Greed.

Trainer David Braddy has countered with the entry of Yes He's the Man and Thanks Dubya, although it is likely only Yes He's the Man will start.

won his only two starts at 2, both coming within a three-week span in December. Those wins earned Yes He's the Man a start in Gulfstream Park's Grade 2 Swale Stakes, but he was never a factor after encountering trouble on a couple of occasions in the run down the backstretch.

will attempt to transfer his good Tampa Bay Downs form downstate. A lightly raced Smoke Glacken colt, R Smoken Star began his career with a win and two thirds at Tampa earlier this year, and gave odds-on favorite Electrify a run for his money before weakening in the final furlong of the Sophomore Stakes on April 8.

Triplethepleasure is coming off a game first-level allowance win in his Gulfstream Park finale and has not finished worse than third in his last five starts.

won an overnight stakes over a sloppy track going a mile here at 2 but has failed to hit the board in four subsequent outings, all against stakes competition.

The Yips, second behind odds-on favorite Laptop Computer on March 15, and the speedy Lake Kerr complete the field.