Miller Racing LLC’s Florida-bred Jewel in the Sky heads a field of ten 2-year-old fillies set to go six furlongs in the $100,000 Cassidy Stakes at Calder Casino and Race Course today.
Coming off of a fourth-place finish behind winner Putyourdreamsaway in the $125,000 Susan’s Girl division of the Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder Aug. 25, the chestnut filly will be making her third attempt at her first stakes victory. She was sixth in the $70,000 JJs Dream Stakes at Calder in late June in her other attempt at added money.
The first winner of her Florida sire Circular Quay—who stands at Journeyman Stud in Ocala—when she broke her maiden by more than five lengths over $40,000 maiden claimers on Jun. 9 at Calder, Jewel in the Sky was most impressive in her young career when defeating $29,000 conditioned allowance fillies at Calder on Aug. 12. That day she hit the wire nearly seven lengths ahead of that group. Trained by Martin Wolfson, Jewel in the Sky will be ridden by Calder’s leading rider Luis Saez for the first time and will break from post position eight.
Jewel in the Sky was bred in Florida by Gilbert G. Campbell of Tyngsboro, Mass.
At 4-1 in the morning line, Jewel in the Sky is the second choice behind Dreaming of Sophia, who is 3-1 in the program. Trained by Luis M. Ramirez for Frank Carl Calabrese of Des Plaines, Ill., Dreaming of Sophia has but two starts on her ledger including her last race when she defeated special weight maidens by just more than six lengths at Calder in early August. In her only other start, the bay filly was fourth against maidens at Calder in July. Dreaming of Sophia has drawn post five for the Cassidy Stakes and will have the riding services of her regular rider Manoel Cruz.
Two other Florida-breds figure to be among those considered by the Calder punters in Crumb at 6-1 in the morning line and Candy Coded Kisses at 8-1.
Crumb is another lightly raced filly having started only twice before jumping into stakes competition in the Cassidy. Trained by Larry Bates for breeder Eric J. Wirth of Douglaston, N.Y., Crumb won at first asking on Aug. 25 when she won a maiden special weight event over a sealed and sloppy Calder main track. As is the case many days in South Florida summer racing, another sloppy and sealed track awaited Crumb in her second start against $26,500 allowance fillies, but she could only manage a runner-up finish to winner Touch Magic and ahead of third-place finisher and fellow Florida-bred Believe in Charlie—both of whom are entered to run in the Cassidy. Antonia Gallardo will ride Crumb from the ten hole.
Candy Coded Kisses is best known as the winner of the $75,000 Desert Vixen division of the Florida Stallion Stakes in late July at Calder as a 24-1 long shot. Bred by Carlos Rafael of Ocala in partnership with Briggs and Cromartie, Candy Coded Kisses has since finished second to Putyourdreamsaway in the Susan’s Girl division of the Florida Stallion Stakes. Trained by co-owner Easton E. DeSouza for Elsaida DeSouza, Candy Coded Kisses will again be ridden by jockey Cecilio Penalba.
Photo by Lamont
