Top trainers to ship in for Festival undercard

MIAMI - The final legs of the Florida Stallion Stakes, the $400,000 In Reality and My Dear Girl Stakes, will command most of the attention on the Oct. 12 Festival of the Sun program. But the undercard should be a beauty, featuring five six-figure stakes, including the $200,000 Calder Derby and its filly counterpart, the $200,000 Calder Oaks.

Among the horses racing secretary Bob Umphrey expects to run in the Grade 3 Calder Derby, with their trainers, are: Thunder Days (Ronny Werner), Union Place (Randy Schulhofer), Youghal Bay (Todd Pletcher), and at least one representative from Christophe Clement's arsenal of 3-year-old grass horses.

The local contingent will be led by Ohio Derby winner The Judge Sez Who and Gemma's Star.

The Calder Oaks, which, like the Derby, will be run at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, will also draw a large out-of-town contingent that may include trainer Bill Mott's Maliziosa, Kathy K D, at least one of the four Clement nominees, and either Pletcher's Something Ventured or Tarnished Lady.

The invaders will need to have their running shoes on if they plan to leave town with the $120,000 first prize with the home forces led by the formidable Cellars Shiraz.

The other three hundred-granders on the Festival of the Sun program - the Spend a Buck, Shocker T., and Calder Turf Sprint handicaps - will be mostly local affairs although Umphrey said Pletcher will likely ship defending champ Texas Glitter back for the five-furlong Turf Sprint.

Max a Million, who has shipped in to prepare for the 1 1/16-mile In Reality, worked a half-mile in 50 seconds over a fast track on Wednesday morning. A 3-year-old son of Jules who is owned and bred by his trainer Francis J. Vitale, Max a Million won his career debut at Rockingham Park before shipping to Monmouth where he finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Tyro and Sapling Stakes.

Max a Million and Mister Deux are the only colts shipping in for the In Reality, which will feature Lawbook's quest to sweep the open division of the Stallion Stakes.

Among other notables on Wednesday's work tab were: High Ideal, a leading candidate for the Spend a Buck, who breezed a half mile in 51.20; Bernard's Candy, a nominee for the Calder Derby, five-eighths in 1:02.20; and the undefeated Lavender Lass, who will start in either the My Dear Girl or $75,000 Cassidy Stakes on the Festival undercard.

* Horsemen are reminded of a change in the entry schedule next week. Entries will be taken on Monday for both the Thursday and Friday programs, on Wednesday for Saturday, on Thursday for Sunday, and Friday for Monday.