Posted: Saturday, October 16, 2010 8:19 PM

MAD FLATTER

Jim Lisa Photo

For video of the Spend a Buck Handicap, click here.

by Ron Parker

On the final day of Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” series races, Mad Flatter earned an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) with a dominating performance in the $100,000 Spend a Buck Handicap (G3) at Calder Race Course on Saturday.

The five-year-old Flatter horse pressed early leader Riversrunrylee for the first quarter of the 1 1/16-mile contest before taking command under Jon Court and steadily increasing his advantage to cross the finish line 6 ¼ lengths clear of 4-to-5 favorite Mambo Meister, covering the distance in 1:46.37 on a track rated as fast.

“We came here because this was a last chance at a ‘Win and You’re In’ race,” winning trainer Jeff Thornbury said. “His mother [Miss Pangea] won a race over this track by 13 lengths. The race developed exactly the way I thought with [Riversrunrylee] setting the pace. It set up perfect for our horse. We’ll get him back home to Keeneland [Race Course] before we decide on running [in the Breeders’ Cup], but now we have the option.”

Mad Flatter is the first stakes winner out of Miss Pangea and increased his earnings to $231,488 with his sixth win from 17 starts.