Florida-bred Bernie the Maestro capped an excellent weekend for Milton Wolfson by wiring the $55,000 American Dreamer Stakes at Calder Casino & Race Course on Sunday, giving the veteran trainer his second stakes win in as many days at the Miami track.
Bernie the Maestro led every step of the way in the one-mile race on a wet, fast track, running through a steady downpour and emerging a one-length winner with Manoel Cruz aboard. On Saturday, Wolfson won the $65,000 Nancy’s Glitter Handicap with Florida-bred Trip for A. J.
“I usually don’t even have horses in two stakes races in one weekend, so it was a great feeling to win two in a row,” Wolfson said. “It was raining so hard that I could barely see the horses for most of the race, but when they got to the top of the stretch, you could pick them up again, and we were doing a bit of hollering at that point.”
Bernie the Maestro led the field of six 3-year-olds through a quarter of a mile in 24.04 seconds and a half-mile in 48.38 while building a one-length lead over El Kingdom, who was pressuring him on the outside.
Going around the final turn, El Kingdom and Florida-bred Concorde’s Fury engaged the leader and drew even in upper stretch, but El Kingdom tired and finished fourth. Meanwhile, Bernie the Maestro rallied resolutely along the rail and repulsed a bid from Concorde’s Fury before stopping the clock in 1:40.57.
“On the far turn, those two horses kind of ganged up on him, but he really dug in,” Wolfson said of Bernie the Maestro. “He’s a tough horse.”
Bernie the Maestro returned $7.40, $4 and $2.20 as the second choice in the field. Concorde’s Fury paid $6.40 and $2.40 after finishing 2 ¾ lengths ahead of 4-5 favorite and Florida-bred Thank U Philippe, who paid $2.10 to show.
Bernie the Maestro, a son of Bernstein bred at Sabine Stable in Micanopy, has won six of his 19 starts and earned $195,261 for a partnership led by Stride Rite Racing Stable Inc. The gelding owns two stakes wins, having captured the $55,000 Ride the Rails Stakes on a sloppy main track at Calder by two lengths in May.
Concorde’s Fury, a son of Ocala Stud Farm stallion Concorde’s Tune bred by Louie Rogers and David McKathan, has won four of his 20 starts and earned $118,261 for Monarch Stables and trainer Larry Pilotti. The colt was a $12,000 purchase as a 2-year-old at OBS in April 2009.
Thank U Philippe, a son of Proud Accolade bred by Edward and Hannah Poremba, has won two of his 13 starts and earned $234,970 for trainer Marty Wolfson and owners Kramer Stables and William Rosenfeld. The colt was a $140,000 purchase as a 2-year-old at OBS in March 2009. He won the $85,000 OBS Sophomore Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in April.
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– Photo of Florida-bred Bernie the Maestro by Jim Lisa
