calder racetrack 'extreme' day

[mightyhijames]

check out the card at calder for saturday. those late races will be wild. i hope this doesn't backfire on them.
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TTimes - 7/20/2006 3:22:50 PM

Calder preparing for inaugural `Extreme Day'


Calder Race Course has worked hard to carve a niche for itself, whether introducing the 'Summit of Speed' to its summer calendar or its popular 'Grand Slam' series in the winter. Now, however, Calder has gone extreme.

One week after running the $500,000 Princess Rooney Handicap (G1)—the first Grade I race in its 36-year history—Calder will introduce on Saturday its inaugural 'Extreme Day,' an afternoon of races featuring events from two furlongs to two miles, a race run clockwise, and, incredibly, two races run simultaneously on the dirt and the turf and billed as the 'World's Fastest Daily Double.'

Exteme, indeed.

According to Calder president Ken Dunn, the idea for Extreme Day came from Bob Umphrey, Calder's late racing secretary, and Mike Cronin, the track's vice president of marketing.

"We were talking about what the big thing was and we started talking about extreme sports and other extreme things," Dunn said. "We took the Rocket Man (Stakes) from 'Summit of Speed' day, which is two furlongs, and we had the shortest race. So we thought of a way to bookend that, and we thought of a two-mile turf race. Then the ideas just started flowing."

Ideas that stuck were the King George Wrong Way Stakes, contested at about 1 3/8 miles on the turf going clockwise—or the wrong way in North America; the Methuselah Stakes for five-year-olds and up; and the Gray Pride Stakes, featuring gray or roan horses.

"What we wanted to do was get someone like Grecian Formula to sponsor the race and make it a starter allowance with all horses being required to dye their mane and tail, but it didn't happen," Dunn said.

While some Extreme Day festivities will not be new—there will be jockey foot races and a 'Battle of the Sexes'—it is believed the 'World's Fastest Daily Double' is something that has not been tried in many years if at all.

Dunn said he spoke separately to horsemen and jockeys about running two races run simultaneously.

"We came up with everything that could possibly go wrong," Dunn said. "We did that with all of Extreme Day. For instance, we thought we'd run the wrong way (in the King George) at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. But the riders said they'd be more comfortable with that race on the grass.

"We looked at everything in terms of running the two races at the same time, whether it was how we'd use the ambulances in case anything happened to getting extra outriders. But everyone was comfortable in the end."

For the 'World's Fastest Daily Double,' Dunn said one race will be electronically timed while the other will be hand timed. He also said the track would use a split screen to show both races.

"We may get some people in the industry laughing at us, thinking it's silly," Dunn said. "But it has generated talk, and that's good, and we're hoping to generate more handle than we did last year on that Saturday."

If the inaugural Extreme Day is successful, Dunn said Calder may add to the festivities next year with BMX riders and skateboarders as well as other "unique events."—

[zinn21]

I think it's a great idea with the exception of the simultaneous races. It's very innovative and think it will generate alot of interest at the entry box and betting windows..

[Tucumcari]

Looks like alot of fun!!!

[Sam]

"What we wanted to do was get someone like Grecian Formula to sponsor the race and make it a starter allowance with all horses being required to dye their mane and tail, but it didn't happen," Dunn said.

Now see, that's quirky ... I like quirky. Too bad they couldn't pull that off.

I'm going to be watching and hoping nothing goes wrong with any of it.

[Sam]

Definitely going to be watching. Caller One and Love That Moon are entered in races as is one of the KKris foals I've been watching.

[mightyhijames]

Definitely going to be watching. Caller One and Love That Moon are entered in races as is one of the KKris foals I've been watching.

who's your kkris foal? i'll use him/her in my bets. calder may be on to something here, providing all goes well. it'll be interesting to see how the betting public responds.

[Kelly Kip]

I'm rooting for So Savvy in the Rocket Man. I worked with him as a yrlng/2yo. He's quite a rapid guy!

[wilf]

Oddly enough Fort Erie horses have won the past two Rocket Man races and they have two running today, Bermuda Triangle and the filly Hot and Cold.

[Lucy]

Calder's off the turf, so the 'wrong-way' race and the 'fastest daily double' have been scuttled. Too bad.

[Barbaro06]

I would have loved to see the fastest daily double...that would have been neat to watch!

[Lucy]

Oddly enough Fort Erie horses have won the past two Rocket Man races and they have two running today, Bermuda Triangle and the filly Hot and Cold.

By the way, Wilf, those two ran second & third. If you played them along with the favorite, you got a nice tri payoff.

[madelyn]

The whole card was pretty cool... my pal's horse, Slider, smoked 'em in the Gray Pride Stakes, yup, for gray horses only.

[mightyhijames]

congrats to your friend, i loved watching that race.

it was a very cool card, too bad about the weather. but i believe they're going to try it again in the fall.

[Tairaterces]

I totally enjoyed the jockey race . . . . . . . . .them coming out of the gate was hysterical . . . . . . . .



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