Little Drama will try to follow in his older brother Big Drama’s footsteps when he goes postward as the heavy favorite to win Saturday’s $100,000 Dr. Fager Stakes, the first leg of the open division of Calder’s traditional Florida Stallion Stakes series. The Dr. Fager shares top billing on the card with its filly counterpart, the $100,000 Desert Vixen for 2-year-old fillies.
Big Drama swept all three legs of the 2008 Stallion series, beginning with a three-length triumph in the six-furlong Dr. Fager. He followed that win with similarly one-sided triumphs in the seven-furlong Affirmed and 1 1/16-mile In Reality.
Like his elder brother, Little Drama lost his first start. He rebounded with an eye-catching 9 1/2-length victory in the 5 1/2-furlong Frank Gomez Memorial. The performance earned Little Drama a 90 Beyer Speed Figure, easily tops of any 2-year-old in south Florida this season.
Trainer David Fawkes and owner Harold Queen resisted the temptation to bypass the Stallion series in lieu of richer graded stakes opportunities out of town – at least for the time being.
“If he were to run off the screen again like he did in his last start, then maybe we’d think about a race like the Hopeful later this summer,” Fawkes said.
Eibar Coa, who guided Little Drama to his easy win in the Frank Gomez, will fly down from Saratoga for the afternoon to again handle the assignment in the Dr. Fager.
A homebred son of Burning Roma, Little Drama will face opposition that includes four undefeated juveniles: Gourmet Dinner, Decisive Moment, Dual Exhauzt, and Watch Me Go.
Gourmet Dinner is the only member of the Dr. Fager field to have won at the distance, capturing his maiden with a come-from-behind one-length victory going six furlongs when launching his career July 17.
◗ Awesome Feather, undefeated in two starts and a game winner of the J J’sdream Stakes in her last start, will top a field of eight 2-year-old fillies in the Desert Vixen.
Ayoumilove also has won twice, following up her maiden victory with 6 1/4-length allowance win for which she received an 82 Beyer, the highest received by any member of the Desert Vixen lineup.
Fawkes also will have a strong hand in the Desert Vixen when he sends out the unbeaten Lila Louann, who rallied to an easy 6 1/2-length victory while debuting under a $32,000 claiming tag earlier this summer.
