Indiano Solid Choice in Gallant Bob

Leading Calder jockey Luis Saez is notably absent from Saturday’s card at Calder Casino & Race Course as he will be traveling to Parx Racing in Philadelphia to ride Stud El Aguila’s 3-year-old sprint star Indiano in the $250,000 Gallant Bob Stakes for trainer Marty Wolfson on the Pennsylvania Derby Day program.

A son of Indian Charlie, Indiano has won his last three starts at Calder, most recently returning from a two-month layoff to win the $50,000 Eillo overnight stakes on Sept. 5 by 2 ¼ lengths. Saez teamed up with Indiano to win the $70,000 Unbridled Stakes by 4 ¼ lengths in June and the $200,000 Carry Back Stakes (G2) by three lengths on Summit of Speed day, July 9, before his brief freshening.

Indiano was bred in Kentucky and purchased for $25,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sales almost exactly two years ago, but made and won the first five starts of his career in Panama before coming to Wolfson at Calder early this year.

Following a second in an allowance race on Mar. 20, Indiano finished second to Travelin Man in the Swale Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park in early April and fifth in the Derby Trial (G2) trying a mile at Churchill Downs late that month.

Indiano has been made the 9-to-5 morning-line favorite for the Gallant Bob in a field of six 3-year-olds and a good effort could earn him a berth in the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Churchill on Sat., Nov. 5, facing Calder favorite Big Drama, the defending winner of the Sprint and 2010 Eclipse champion for trainer David Fawkes.