Mr. Ryder and Silver Medallion to lock horns in the Tropical Turf Handicap
The Garde 3 Tropical Turf Handicap at Calder Casino and Race Course has reeled in nine, 3-year-old and above colts and geldings to compete over a distance of one and one eighth miles with the purse of $100,000 on 2 December, 2011.
The Christophe Clement trained Mr. Ryder will be the likely favourite in the grade 3 event. The Brushwood Stable’s 4-year-old colt Mr. Ryder following a strong third-place finish at Belmont Park on 15 October, 2011, in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker Handicap
over at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
The Kentucky bred son of Giant’s Causeway, out of mare Saudia by Gone West, Mr. Ryder ran his heart out but in the got beaten by Boisterous by a mere length, who topped the distance in 1 minute and 51.42 seconds as Sleepless Knight kept the first and the
third apart in second.
Prior to the Grade 3 Knickerbocker Handicap, Mr. Ryder at Del Mar on 16 July,2011, ran down the stretch in the Sussex Stakes to win the 1 1/16 miles event by defeating Bim Bam in second place and Mikoshi in third place. Mr. Ryder covered the 1 1/16 mile
distance in 1 minute and 40.82 seconds.
Bred in Kentucky by Ben Walden and H. Sexton, Mr. Ryan has gone on to win five races out of nine starts with a single third place finish in his last outing with the career earnings of $175,480.
Mr. Ryder will carry a top weight of 118 pounds, and jockey Joe Bravo will be aboard the 4-year-old in the Tropical Turf Handicap. The pair will break from post number 6.
3-year-old Todd Pletcher trained Silver Medallion will break from post number seven under jockey Javier Castellano. The colt has also been assigned 118 pounds top weight and he is coming off a third place finish in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill
Downs.
Prior to the Commonwealth Turf, Silver Medallion turned in a big runner up effort in an allowance race at Woodbine in his first start for Todd Pletcher.
Silver Medallion will come face to face against Mr. Ryder in the Tropical Turf Handicap to size each other up and decide who is the best in the Tropical Turf Handicap field.
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