Festival of the Sun 2001


Carey's Gold may be aptly named. He is favored to sweep the 20th Florida Stallion Stakes for colts and geldings on Saturday at Calder Race Course.

The 2-year-old goes in the $400,000 In Reality, one of seven stakes on the 10th Festival of the Sun afternoon, rescheduled the past two years because of horrendous fall storms in South Florida. The forecast: partly cloudy.

The son of Gold Alert, who will be ridden by Jorge Chavez, is trying to become the fifth juvenile to capture all three divisions of the Stallion Stakes since the inaugural in 1982. His main competition comes from Bog Hunter, ridden by Eduardo Nunez, who captured one of the two Affirmed divisions.

Carey's Gold also could bank a $50,000 bonus for his owner Adam Thompson, who indicated he'd donate $10,000 to a children's charity if his horse takes the 1 1/16 miles contest.

"My philosophy is that if you get, you should give back," Thompson said. "And the karma around this horse has been so good."

Carey Gold's trainer, Henry Collazo, already has made several donations this year to the Stop! Children's Cancer Inc. in Gainesville, Fla.

Collazo and his partner, Beverly Jansen, began supporting the Good Hope Equestrian Training Center and Stop! Children's Cancer Inc. with donations from a portion of earnings by Miss Vermont Jet. Their filly paid for herself by winning three back-to-back races this year at Hialeah Park.

Miss Vermont runs under the name "Racing for Charity"; Collazo and Jansen hope to develop a nationwide program to help children.

"Sometimes we get tunnel vision and don't realize how good we have things until we see those that don't," said Thompson, a New Jersey criminal lawyer. "I think helping children's charities is a great idea and it can help out a lot of people."

The total worth of the seven stakes on Saturday's card exceeds $1.5 million. They include the $400,000 My Dear Girl for fillies, with Bold World, victorious in the $125,000 Susan Girl's leg of the Stallion Stakes, meeting Pharmstar, winner of the $75,000 Desert Vixen, in the rubber match. Calvin Borel will ride Bold World and Jerry Bailey flies in to guide Pharmstar.

The day's activities include the sixth Horse Fair featuring a parade of more than 40 animals representing 14 breeds, and the return of a Calder favorite.

Carterista, a Florida-bred chestnut gelding who raced mostly in the Sunshine State, serves as an ambassador for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation farm in Ocala, Fla. Founded in 1982, the nonprofit organization is dedicated to the humane retirement and treatment of thoroughbreds, wholly supported by donations from private citizens and the racing industry.
The copyright of the article Festival of the Sun 2001 in Horse Racing is owned by Greg Melikov. Permission to republish Festival of the Sun 2001 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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