Saratoga, Race 6 – Wednesday, August 9, 2023
By 2YO EdgeMan
SAR6:080923 – Five and a half furlongs on the grass. The entry box overfloweth with 16 fillies, leaving six on the waiting list, including two that have opted to run only if this event gets moved to the main track. Seven of these juveniles have never seen a starting gate in the afternoon, two have one race under their belt and one wily veteran has done this thing three times. We’ve got an excellent list of trainers in the main field that includes Maker (2), Handal, Amoss, Asmussen, DeVaux, TAP, Jorge Abreu, and Dutrow. Similarly, the sires are top notch, too – including a pair of Triple Crown Winners. Entered in the main draw are two from Twirling Candy and one each by Justify, Oasis Dream, More Than Ready, American Pharoah, Churchill and Night of Thunder. Anxious to dig into this one, so let’s do this…
#1 – Buttercream Babe (10/1) – The first of two from Maker, this filly is also the first of two by Twirling Candy. Her dam cashed in for $162K of purse money while going 4 for 27 on the track. Bidding stopped on today’s gal when Three Diamonds Farm went to $180K at the OBS Spring 2YO Sale earlier this year (11/34) after she logged a furlong in 10 seconds flat. Even though this gal has never seen live racing action, she has been to work in the morning on nine occasions. She started with five efforts down in KY at KEE and then has put in four more on the main course here at Saratoga. She’s got one bullet on her resume – on 7/9/23 here at SAR she went a half mile in 48.03 seconds (1/15). Dylan Davis has signed up to be her guide for the day.
#4 – Mia Marcela (4/1) – The second filly from Twirling candy in this one is trained by Asmussen and owned by the Heiligbrodts, Clark Brewster and other interests. She was a prized offering as a two-year-old at the OBS Spring Sale when she hammered down by this ownership group for $375K (6/34). Her time for the 1/8th of a mile under tack was a flashy 9.4 seconds. Mom (by Unbridled’s Song) only banked $19,000 with one win from nine tries. Similar to the filly above, this gal has worked four times at Keeneland before shipping up here to the Spa in the first half of July. Again, like the #1 horse, she shows one bullet move, but this was a ‘major’ bullet (1/101) when she went 47.6 seconds for four panels from the gate in her last breeze in KY. She will be making her first start and Florent Geroux is expected to climb aboard.
#5 – Reagan’s Version (6/1) – Another firster, this filly is by the English sire – Oasis Dream – and she’s out of an Irish mare by Kodiac. This gal sold very well as a yearling at Tattersalls last October for the equivalent of $162,351 (1/32). Her dam raced six times in England and France, all as a two-year-old and all on the grass, winning twice from six runs, which earned her $31,000. Conditioner Cherie DeVaux started her workout regime with six moves at KEE before shipping up north to make three more on the Oklahoma dirt – none overly fast. Rafael Santana, Jr. will be her pilot.
#6 – My Cora (6/1) – This filly’s claim to fame is that her dam is a half to Giant’s Causeway and Freud, although she was not much of a race mare herself having never getting her picture taken in the two afternoon efforts that she made. Today’s runner is managed by TAP and comes to us by way of More Than Ready. She’s a homebred from St. Elias Stable. To prepare for her first start, she’s worked out five times in the last 60 days here at the Spa with a mix of training track dirt and turf along with two coming over the main strip, however none of her times are noteworthy. Saez takes the reins today.
#7 – Jody’s Pride (5/2) – Your morning line favorite is also an FTS and is a product of American Pharoah and a mare by Scat Daddy that went 2 for 2 in her short racing career ($78,000). She won in September as a 2YO at Belmont Park and then captured an Allowance affair right here at Saratoga in August of her 3YO year. Today’s competitor, along with her dam, is trained by Jorge Abreu and she has never changed hands at public auction. As far as workouts, this gal has put in nine efforts, all here at Saratoga. Her best was two back on 7/22/23 over the main track when she traveled 5/8 in 59.22 seconds (3/32) and her most recent breeze was a spin over the turf training track (not fast). Flavien Prat has been tapped to ride.
#9 – Housefly (8/1) – Maker’s second starter in this affair is an Irish bred filly by the very good Irish stallion – Night of Thunder. Mama only crossed the line first one time in eight tries, of course in Ireland and this is her first foal. At the Tattersalls’ auction last October, Housefly sold as a yearling for what converts to $237,912 (30/90). In preparation for her first race, she has worked out eight times, all down in Kentucky, with her most recent four coming over the All-Weather track at Turfway Park. Her tab does also feature a bullet move two back on 7/27/23 when she went five furlongs in 1:01.4 (1/12). Isaac Castillo will tickle the leather.
Pick – #4 Mia Marcela – It feels like I’ve been going with Asmussen quite a bit lately, but I am confident that he will pick up a few winners here in the second half of the meet. Historically, he has averaged nearly five 2YO MSW wins per year at SAR (24 for 111 from 2018 thru 2022) and he’s only 1 for 8 so far in 2023. Additionally, his strike rate is 24.2% with these babies that are first-time starters here (15 for 62), again over the previous five years. This filly can no doubt move her hooves – her bullet breeze guarantees that. And I like Florent in the saddle as well as the trust that her top-notch ownership group showed in her by the dollars that they dropped to bring her home from OBS. Additionally, I think this gal will be fine, even if the race gets moved off of the grass. This is another fantastic prospect still waiting to be minted by some lucky owner in the Game of Silks.
Thursday brings us another non-restricted baby race at the Spa, so stay on the alert for that piece here at the one and only PastTheWire.com. In the meantime, this promises to be a good one, so please enjoy it. Stay safe and intense, my Edgie Vigilantes.
