No one will ever confuse Carl Spackler and Talk of the Nation with Affirmed and Alydar, but the two turfers certainly know how to put on an exciting show.
The two 4-year-olds have squared in each of their three 2024 races and the latest one turned out to be their 1978 Belmont Stakes (G1).
The two rivals dueled fiercely through the stretch before Carl Spackler edged away late to notch a half-length victory in the $162,750 Kelso Stakes (G3T) July 13 at Saratoga Race Course.
Named for the beloved gopher-chasing groundskeeper in the iconic movie “Caddyshack,” Carl Spackler finished in front of Talk of the Nation for the second time in their three meetings. It was also the third graded stakes win for the son of Lope de Vega , who is a homebred for owner Bob Edwards of e Five Racing Thoroughbreds.
“I was very proud of him. I think the horse that he went by (Talk of the Nation) is a pretty nice horse and clearly the fractions were moderate, at best. It was a real horse race the last sixteenth and I was happy this horse showed a lot of heart,” said trainer Chad Brown.
In their opening round, Carl Spackler kicked off 2024 with a head victory over the Todd Pletcher-trained Talk of the Nation in the Opening Verse Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Round two went to Talk of the Nation who was third in the June 8 Poker Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga, while Carl Spackler had a mulligan, a fifth-place finish as the 9-5 favorite.
“I didn’t really react to the result (of the Poker),” Brown said. “I just got him back to his normal training routine and he redeemed himself today.”
The son of the More Than Ready mare Zindaya —Edwards’ first stakes winner—returned to top form Saturday with an effort more reflective of his career record of five wins and a second from eight starts.
Continuing a disturbing trend from the previous Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack, the Kelso went off with a field of four, making it the fourth time in back-to-back Saturdays that a New York Racing Association graded stakes had five or fewer starters.
With a small field for the mile turf stakes, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. on Talk of the Nation took advantage and sent the son of Quality Road to the front before the first turn, clicking off fractions of :24.47, :48.92, and 1:12.18 over firm turf.
Tyler Gaffalione kept Carl Spackler in second down the backstretch, then collared the leader leaving the quarter pole. The two dueled from there, with Carl Spackler grabbing a head lead at the eighth pole. But Talk of the Nation kept battling and it wasn’t until the final strides when Carl Spackler ($3.50), the 3-4 favorite, extended to a half-length lead.
Final time for the mile was 1:34.72.
Talk of the Nation, owned by Allen Stable and breeder CHC, was 3 3/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Northern Invader , a son of Collected owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and David Ingordo and trained by Cherie DeVaux.
The two rivals seem likely to meet again Aug. 10 in the mile Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) at the Spa.
Carl Spackler, bred by Edwards’ Fifth Avenue Bloodstock operation, is the second of five foals from Zindaya and her lone stakes winner from three runners. She also has a 2-year-old full sister to the Kelso winner who sold for $570,622 at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and an Uncle Mo weanling colt.
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