Saint Knows wins third straight

MIAMI - No trainer ever wants to see his horse break slowly in a race. But for trainer Joe Calascibetta, a poor start has proven a career-changer for Saint Knows, who rallied to her third consecutive victory by running down Mysterious Jule for a half-length score in Saturday's $55,000 Ms Brookski Stakes at Calder.

Saint Knows had one strategy and only one strategy - get to the front and don't look back. But fate and a slow start changed all that just moments into a second-level optional claiming race on June 14. Faced with no choice but to take hold and try to rate Saint Knows following the slow beginning, jockey Carlos Olivero allowed the 5-year-old to settle off the early pace before setting her down for a stretch run that resulted in an impressive 3 1/2-length victory.

Olivero has since used a similar strategy to guide Saint Knows to a pair of stakes victories, the first a come-from-behind score over Silversider in the Liberada Stakes on June 28. On Saturday, Saint Knows again relaxed off the pace before easing out from behind the leaders and wearing down Mysterious Jule, who had gained command from Silversider in midstretch, to win by a half-length.

Saint Knows, a daughter of Sweetsouthernsaint, toted highweight of 121 pounds under the allowance conditions of the race and paid $7.60. Her cause was aided when her two of her potential rivals, stablemates Eclisee and Dancing Band, were scratched by trainer Marty Wolfson earlier in the day.

Cartouche back to sprinting Monday

Cartouche, an impressive maiden winner earlier in the meet but a disappointment when trying to stretch out around two turns in his most recent start, turns back to six furlongs while returning to allowance company for Monday's $25,000 feature race.

Cartouche, a 3-year-old son of Officer, earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure when drawing off to a 10-length victory in his local debut on June 5. A month later, he was not pressured while chasing the early pace and fell back after six furlongs of the one-mile American Dreamer Stakes.

Wekiva Wachee, a lightly raced but steadily improving 3-year-old, comes off a second-place finish behind the well-regarded Hypocrite under high-priced optional claiming conditions, and looks like the one to beat.

Red Nation to Dr. Fager Stakes

John Shaw has targeted the $100,000 Dr. Fager Stakes on Aug.o16 as the next stop for his speedy 2-year-old Red Nation. The Dr. Fager is the first leg of the open division of the Florida Stallion Stakes.

Red Nation led throughout in a 2 1/4-length victory of the $55,000 Frank Gomez Memorial stakes on the Summit of Speed undercard here last weekend. Red Nation has won 2 of his 4 starts while suffering some tough luck in his two other appearances.

In his debut at Gulfstream Park, Red Nation was knocked around between horses and lost his rider. Then, after winning his maiden impressively here earlier in the meet, Red Nation finished far back after his jockey lost an iron and had his saddle slip in the run down the backstretch of the BL's Sweep Stakes.

"He could be named 'Bad Luck' with what's already happened to him in his career," said Shaw.