Saratoga, Race 6 – Thursday, July 20, 2023
By 2YO EdgeMan
SAR6:072023 – 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf. A full field of ten fillies (plus two on the Also Eligible list) are set to do business in this one. Eight gals will be participating in their first race ever and two have been out one time prior. We’ve got a wonderful list of sires that includes two from Munnings and one each from Night of Thunder, Kodiac, Goldencents (Spendthrift Farm), Catholic Boy and Oscar Performance. Add to that – the fabulous Spendthrift Farm First-Crop Sire who sent out the dynamite ‘Pirate’ on Sunday – Omaha Beach. And check out these spectacular trainers – Two from Mott and singles from Dutrow, Arnold, Abreu, Chad Brown, Asmussen, Motion and Cox. If you ain’t fired up about this one, you are snoozin. Let’s rock n’ roll…
#3 – Kodiac Wintergreen (3/1) – The Morning Line fav is one of the two that has a run under her belt. In that race, she came from next to last to finish second, beaten by 3+ lengths going five poles on the grass at BEL on 6/11/23 (EBSF of 60), after a nice run up the inside down the lane. This filly sold overseas at Goffs as a yearling and brought the equivalent of $153,486 (17/83) and her mom was unraced, however she’s thrown some nice runners. Her first foal won nearly $1 million while going 8 for 25 on the turf (10/28 overall) and scored at the highest level, bringing home a G1 trophy. He also won as a first-time starter in England in November of his 2YO season. She also sports a three-year-old half-sis (Love Reigns) that has already banked almost $250K having won three times from five starts, all on the turf – two of those wins coming in stakes company. Not to be outdone, she won in April last year at KEE as a 2YO for Wesley Ward and posted a fabulous 96 Equibase Speed Fig. Trainer Rusty Arnold sent her down to Louisville for three works under the Twin Spires since her last race and her last was impressive – on 7/13/23 she breezed a ½ mile in 48 seconds flat (2/32). Jose Ortiz has accepted the call to again be in the saddle.
#6 – Dancing Nancy (9/2) – Chad Brown conditions this FTS filly who is by Goldencents, out of a dam by Distorted Humor who was winless in three tries and this is her first foal. This gal hammered down for $100K earlier this year at the Ocala Breeders’ 2YO Sale back in March (3/17) after putting in a two furlong under tack performance of 20.4 seconds. She’s logged nine workouts – all here at SAR on the dirt – and all but her most recent has been over the Oklahoma oval. Her first three works covered three panels and the past six have been one furlong more, but none of the workout have been overly fast. Chad taps Manny Franco to guide her.
#8 – Neom Beach (5/1) – I’m sure that you’ll guess that this is the Omaha Beach filly in this affair and she’s trained by Steve Asmussen and owned by Bloom Racing Stable. Steve has not won a 2YO MSW race on the grass at Saratoga in July, dating back to 2012 (0 for 8) and he’s only won two at SAR in any month in 34 tries (5.9%). Mama was 0 for 1 in her short racing career and she has had three foals to race prior to producing today’s runner. Her best offspring cashed in for purse money equaling $117K with eight wins in 27 starts. Neom Beach went through the OBS Spring 2YO Sale earlier this year and zipped off a furlong under tack in 10 seconds flat and then went on to fetch a nice winning bid of $210K (11/36). This firster has had seven total works – her first four at Keeneland before one at CD and then two over Oklahoma. Her best was her last at KEE – a 48.00 move for 4f on 6/17/23 (4/95). Joel Rosairo will tickle the leather.
#9 – Gemofaperformance (10/1) – Graham Motion sends out this filly for her first ever crack at a real race. She’s by Oscar Performance, who’s become a fine turf sire – 4 of 17 with FTS on the turf at the ‘Top 11 Tracks’ (23.5%). Her dam was an excellent race mare as she banked $487K with a 4 for 11 record including wins in her first two starts at two (a MSW and a stakes at Woodbine), earning an 83 EBSF first out and a 90 in her second race. She added two more stakes victories before closing out her career on the track. She’s thrown one gelding who earned $286K – 11 for 57 – including a win second out in July of his 2YO year at BEL, posting an 83 EBSF. Today’s filly is a home-bred from the Amerman family. She has been out for nine morning preps – all in MD at Fair Hill, with five on the All-Weather strip and four on the dirt. Her most impressive was a bullet in her last when she breezed 48 seconds flat over a ½ mile on the dirt (1/35). Motion looks to Johnny V to be the pilot.
#10 – Ever So Sweet (4/1) – Yet another First-Time Starter, this filly was sold at Goff’s ORBY sale as a yearling for $144K and is by Calyx (4/64) who stands for the equivalent of $11,240 over in Ireland. Mom could not locate the Winner’s Circle in her seven starts and she has had two other foals of racing age – neither has started. Brad Cox is the conditioner and he has put her through her paces 12 times in the morning, starting with eight at Keeneland before shipping her to NY for four more at BEL, all on dirt. Nine of her 12 works have been at four furlongs (the other three covered three panels) and her fast was at KEE on 5/30/23 when she breezed a ½ mile in 47.4 seconds (2/53). Flavien Prat gets the assignment to slip his feet into the irons.
Pick – #3 Kodiac Wintergreen – The experience of her first race should really help this filly. I was impressed that she was willing to run inside horses down the stretch in her last one after a very lackluster first few furlongs. The three workouts since her last has to also help put more base under her and her last drill was really good. Jose rode her the first time and I look for a big performance from this pair in this one.
Get set for another one at SAR tomorrow on the lawn as the boys get a shot in that one and we are anxious for it. Enjoy this one – lot’s of different angles and we could debate the likely winner, but what is not in question is the quality of four or five in this one today. Safe safe and be well, my Edgie soldiers.
