Have Some Fun – Go To Calder

By Jude T. Feld

How long has Calder been going on?

Traveling to Miami to co-host the Horse Racing Radio Network’s coverage of the eighth annual Summit of Speed with Mike Penna, I couldn’t believe the first class treatment we received by our hosts at Calder Race Course. Considered by many to be “the redheaded stepchild” of Florida racetracks, you would never assume that to be the case if you hang around for a few days. Calder’s staff, charm and beauty were a pleasant surprise to this first-time visitor.

Calder’s walking ring is one of the most spectacular bits of landscaping I have ever seen. Crimson and key lime green caladiums edge the entire expanse with Royal Poinciana trees providing a gold and red and green umbrella of shade. It’s no wonder the Rasta horseplayers hang out there.

Michele Blanco. “The hostess with the mostess.”

Mike and I are just working stiffs trying to bring racing to the busy people…breeders feeding their mares on a hot Kentucky Saturday, dads driving to the grocery store to buy charcoal for their grills, grooms back at the barn doing afternoon chores and golfers heading home from the course after an Arnold Palmer at the 19th hole.

We usually have to fight for a decent broadcast location, paddock access and dedicated phone lines but Ms. Blanco, Calder’s Director of Communications, treated us like racing royalty, setting us up in a great location right in the paddock, indulging our every whim, feeding us lunch, and assigning her handsome son to be our “lackey” as he deftly put it.

“You rolls the dice and you takes your chances.”

Friday night’s Summit of Speed party included a Grey Goose vodka fountain, caviar, Roquefort cheese and mojitos, hand-made by a fellow named Torres, which rivaled those served at Puerto Rico’s Yerba Buena.

To cap it all off there were table games for prizes. Penna had the dice for half an hour and picked up $1200 in chips but the most impressive roll was a “called shot” by Taylor Made Sales’ Stevie Castagnola, who put $50 on the hard 10 and proceeded to roll two fives.

Saturday, lightning strikes.

And there went our television monitor – burned it right up. “Not to worry,” the Calder cameraman said. “I’ll have another one down here in a minute.”

It showed up before the next bit of thunder. That’s service baby!

Attention! There’s a gecko in the paddock.

The little chartreuse fellow toed out really badly and was way over at the knee. Baffert would never buy him despite the fact that he had a ton of speed.

Are they from South Beach?

With a George Hamilton tan and a fountain of racing knowledge, Ron Nicoletti is the perfect face of Calder. Pair him with the lovely Francine Walder, wife of supertrainer Peter, and magic happens. They give the appearance of a Miami power couple yet they impart excellent racing info to the local horseplayers and those at simulcast facilities across the nation.

Carol Perrone – our aide-de-camp.

Everybody’s nervous before a big race and the last thing many owners and trainers want to be is interviewed, but smiling Carol, who usually handles Calder’s special groups, arrived at the booth with guest after guest. Nobody can resist a Jersey girl.

C. Ken Dunn is the Calder President.

Despite all the out-of-town of owners and trainers he was entertaining and the 40-minute monsoon that delayed the races, Mr. Dunn checked in on us several times throughout the day to make sure we were o.k. It is obvious why Calder is so enjoyable. It starts at the top.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 9th, 2007 at 9:09 am and is filed under Featured Articles. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.