Spawr Has a Fresh Sprinter

During his long and successful career, Bill Spawr has trained such talented sprinters as Sensational Star, Enjoy The Moment and Saratoga Gambler.

Add Bordonaro to the list.

Making his graded stakes debut in the $100,000 Vernon O. Underwood Saturday at Hollywood Park, the 4-year-old Memo gelding led throughout to beat 7-1 longshot Turnbolt by three lengths in a field reduced to four starters.

Indian Country, who had won three of five at Hollywood Park and had beaten Bordonaro in the Pirate’s Bounty on Sept. 7 at Del Mar, was scratched by the track veterinarian a few minutes before the start.

Owned by breeders Fred Carrillo and Dan Cassella, Bordonaro, the 2-1 second choice in the Grade III, won for the sixth time in eight starts. Ridden by Patrick Valenzuela, who was back after missing two days because of to illness, Bordonaro ran the six furlongs in 1:08.11.

Bordonaro had rattled off four consecutive victories earlier in the year at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar despite not being at his best.

“He was never right behind,” said Spawr. “He was winning and running well, but when he would go to the turn and go to his left lead, he wouldn’t switch behind.

“We did all kinds of tests, but we never could find anything. I think he just outgrew it. He matured and just got through it. I was think it was something so small or minor, he just got through it.”

Captain Squire, the 9-10 favorite, finished third, beaten nearly five lengths by the winner as he added front bandages for trainer Jeff Mullins. Lifestyle finished last, 14 lengths behind Bordonaro.

“He ran hard,” jockey Alex Solis said of Captain Squire. “It was just that the winner ran a little better than we did. [Mullins] wants to try him going long now and I think that would really help.”

*

Four jockeys won the stakes races that made up Calder’s Grand Slam I on Saturday.

The only favorite to succeed in the sequence was Silver Tree, the 6-5 choice under Jerry Bailey, who prevailed in the final stride over 40-1 outsider Demeteor in the $100,000 Tropical Turf Handicap.

It was the seventh win in 23 starts for Silver Tree, a 5-year-old Hennessy horse who is owned by breeder Peter Vegso and trained by Bill Mott.

In the day’s other turf contest, Snowdrops, a 9-2 shot, rallied late to beat La Reina by a half-length in the $100,000 My Charmer Handicap. Brice Blanc rode the 5-year-old gray daughter of Gulch, who had finished second in last year’s My Charmer. She ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.33. Ticker Tape was third and 3-5 favorite Sand Springs was fourth.

Eddie Castro rode 5-2 second choice Stolen Prayer to her third win in six starts in the $100,000 Three Ring, and 11-1 shot Saint Augustus and jockey Ramon Dominguez defeated Big Lover and five others in the $100,000 What A Pleasure.

In beating 8-5 favorite Cappozene by one length, Stolen Prayer, who is owned by Bea Oxenberg, David Mellin and Marion Montanari, ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:50.01.

The win was the second in five starts for Saint Augustus, a 2-year-old Saint Ballado colt, and he ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.94 for Dogwood Stable and trainer Todd Pletcher. Flanders Fields, the 7-5 choice, finished fourth under Bailey.

*

Lilah, a 9-1 shot, outfinished 45-1 outsider Secret Forest by a head to win the $84,300 Garland of Roses at Aqueduct.