Wolfson takes three stakes on card

Trainer Marty Wolfson was the star of the undercard on Saturday's Festival of the Sun program at Calder, winning 3 of the 4 stakes, including the $100,000 Spend a Buck Handicap with It's a Bird. He also sent out promising 2-year-olds Frolic's Dream and You Luckie Mann to easy and very impressive wins in the $100,000 Cassidy and Birdonthewire stakes.

It's a Bird ($12) rallied from off a contested pace before outgaming a stubborn Gottcha Gold through the final furlong to post a hard-fought head victory in the Grade 3 Spend a Buck. Gottcha Gold, the 6-5 favorite, was engaged on the lead from the outset by Finallymadeit and fought back bravely when headed by the winner in early stretch before finally succumbing grudgingly in the closing yards. Dream Maestro finished another three-quarters of a length further back in third.

It's a Bird, a 5-year-old gelded son of Birdonthewire, is owned by Edmund Gann.

"He was entered in the Miami Mile, too, and if that race had come off the turf I'd have run him in there and he'd have won by 20," said Wolfson.

Frolic's Dream and You Luckie Mann clobbered their opposition, with Frolic's Dream loping home 12 3/4 lengths in front of Sailing Time to win the Cassidy for 2-year-old fillies, while You Luckie Mann was a similarly easy 11-length winner over Silver Bayer in the Birdonthewire for 2-year-old colts and geldings.

Frolic's Dream ($3.80), a homebred daughter of Smoke Glacken owned by the Dare to Dream Farm of Robert Murphy and Dr. Sandy Price-Murphy, remained perfect in two starts and established a new stakes record in the process, covering 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.34 to capture the Cassidy. Her final time was also just .20 of a second off the track record.

"She showed she was good in her first race, and she's grown another two inches since then," said Wolfson. "There have been offers to buy her. I don't know what will be next."

You Luckie Mann ($3.20), third as the favorite behind Big Drama in both the Dr. Fager and Affirmed divisions of the Stallion Stakes, was an dominant as Frolic's Dream in winning the 5 1/2-furlong Birdonthewire. The victory was his second in four career starts. He won his maiden earlier this summer by a 14-length margin.

Jermaine Bridgmohan rode all three of Wolfson's stakes winners on the card.

"I knew if he broke well today he'd run very well," said Wolfson. "Breaking has been a problem with him every time."

You Luckie Mann's final time of 1:04.20 was just .01 of a second off the stakes mark.

Soldier's Dancer once again delivered his potent closing rally to post a four-length victory over Midwest invader Wise River in the Grade 3, $100,000 Miami Mile Handicap on the turf. Fair Weather Stan finished another three-quarters of a length further back to be third in a field of 10 older turf specialists.

Soldier's Dancer went the distance in 1:35.73 over a firm course and returned $4.20. Regular rider Manoel Cruz was aboard.

"He's got a lot of class and he runs well everywhere," said trainer David Vivian, trainer of Soldier's Dancer. "The distance didn't concern me. I think he's just a better horse than these. What concerned me was 12 horses and the possibility of traffic problems going a mile. He was a little closer today but still six wide on the turn."

Vivian said the Grade 3 Tropical Turf on Dec. 6 would likely be next for Soldier's Dancer.