Saratoga, Race 6 – Sunday, August 11, 2024
By The 2YO EdgeMan
SAR6:081124 – Seven Furlongs on the Dirt. Eight fillies are entered. The number of FTSers = six, those with one start = one, and one filly has three previous races under her belt.
#1 – Mia’s Mom (12/1) – Maclean’s Music (ALL = 17.2%; FTS = 15.7%) is the daddy of this filly who comes by way of Twinkling, a winless War Chant mare. Although mama was not successful on the track, she’s done very well in the breeding shed having thrown four others of racing age and one of them is the two-time G2 winner of $2.4 million (8/25), Skippylongstocking (who also won as a 2YO). In addition, she’s thrown two others that have won $100K+ and two that won as babies. The price tag for this gal was $275K as a yearling (11/114) and she will be making her debut performance for trainer Robert Medina who has not started a 2YO in a MSW affair at SAR over the previous five years. Today’s participant started working in Lexington at the Thoroughbred Training Center back in May and drilled there nine times before a lone work here at The Spa (10 total works for a cumulative 37 furlongs). She had two bullet works in Lexington – on 5/29/24 she went three panels in 36.4 (1/17) and then on 7/23/24 she sped a half mile in 47.6 (1/12). Tyler gets the call to pilot her.
#2 – La Cara (5/1) – The most experienced runner in this field comes from the Barn of Mark Casse (M = 14.3%). This one is a cross from Street Sense (ALL = 15.0%; Non-FTS = 17.1%) and Bernardini. That cross is 7/47 in 2YO MSW races with a purse of at least $30,000 over the past twelve years. (14.9%). Mama, Cara Caterina never found the Winner’s Circle in eight tries and this is her first foal and today’s filly is a Tracy Farmer homebred. After showing very little in her debut performance back in May, this gal led all the way at CD on 6/21/24 before getting clipped and running second, 2 ¾ lengths short. She then traveled up to SAR and ran fourth, beaten by six lengths on 7/14/24. Mark has had her out in the morning twice since her last run and he goes back to jockey Jose Ortiz for the third time today.
#4 – Trading Strategy (5/2 ML fav) – Klaravich Stables picked this FTS filly up as a yearling last year for $1/2 million (12/43) as a son of Quality Road (ALL = 16.4%; FTS = 14.7%). Her mom, Dothraki Sea, is by Union Rags and she was successful in two of the eight races that she ran and earned $45,000. She’s tossed two other foals of racing age, one of which has cracked the $100K earnings mark. Conditioner Chad Brown (M = 17.7%; FTS = 15.2) has put her through her paces ten times (38 furlongs), all here at Saratoga, however, her times have been average. Flavien will be her reinsman.
#5 – Table Flirt (4/1) – HOF trainer – Bill Mott (M = 8.1%; FTS 8.9%) – will sling the saddle for the first time in the afternoon on this filly by Constitution (ALL = 14.6%; FTS = 17.0%). Her dam, Into Chocolate, is by the great Spendthrift sire, Into Mischief, and she was 4/12 on track while winning $220K including the Grade 3, Chillingworth at Santa Anita. This homebred is her first foal of racing age. Bill began working her out in the mornings back in late May and has done so a total of nine times (33 furlongs), all here at SAR. In typical Mott fashion, he has not asked her for much speed yet. He calls on his number one rider – Junior Alvarado – to guide her.
#6 – Quickick (6/1) – First-Crop sire, McKinzie (four winners), sends out this filly who was produced by a now 20-year-old Graeme Hall mare. Mom Graeme Six, was quite adept on the track with a record of 5/17, earnings of $338K, a G3 score, and a second-place finish in a G1. In the breeding shed, she has had ten other foals of racing age – four of which won $100K+ (including a G3 winner) and two that won at age two. This gal sold extremely well – as a weanling the bidding ended at $275K (2/26) and then last year she demanded $550K as a yearling (3/120). In prep for her debutant performance, trainer Tom Amoss (M = 22.2%, ROI = $2.96; FTS = 3/10, 30%, ROI = $4.24) has drilled her ten times, including six at 5/8thof a mile (46 furlongs). She’s not only put a lot of mileage under her, her times have been brisk. Her last work at CD on 7/9/24 before heading up to SAR was a five panel move completed in 59.2 (1/17). Then in her second spin here at The Spa she traveled a half mile in 48 seconds flat (3/104) with her last work being clicked off in 59.4 (1/39) for 5/8th. Dylan Davis will be the man in the saddle.
#8 – Trango Tower (9/2) – Chad Brown’s (M = 17.7%; FTS = 15.2) second runner in this affair is by Curlin (ALL = 13.6%; FTS = 12.9), out of a Bernardini mare Lewis Bay who was a wonderful racer by Bernardini. All she did was win six of her 17 starts and bring home $1.17 million, including a second-place finish in a G2 event while she was still only two years old. She’s tossed two other foals of racing age, but they have not yet been successful. This first-time starter is a homebred and she’s been out on ten mornings for a total of 37 furlongs, however, her times have not been anything to write home about. Joel Rosario will slip his boots into the stirrups.
Final Analysis – I can certainly make a case for a number of these fillies – #2 has valuable experience, # 4 is a Klaravich who will be ridden by Prat, #5 is by one of my favs – Constitution, has Into Mischief for her broodmare sire, and is trained by the HOFer. And how about #6? She’s been training like a beast and sold in the top 3% of her class – and mom was a very good race mare. Brown’s other runner, #8, is no swiss cheese either, coming from a cross of Curlin and a precocious Bernardini mare. However, as you know, I only pick one horse per race and in this race, I’m going for a price – #1 Mia’s Mom. My gut is that Medina decided to bring her up here because after drilling her in Lexington, he knows that she belongs with the big dogs. She is a half to Skippy, sold in the top 10% of her class, and her daddy is pretty darn good with these babies. I also like the fact that Tyler is riding her. At ML odds of 12/1, I think that she’s worth taking a shot on in this very talent field.
Good luck to all with whoever you select. I’m working to get as many articles out to my Wonderful Edgies as possible – thank you for your patience with me. Take good care – be safe and smart.
