Dynamite Miss fits this course

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Frank Alexander looked over the past performances for Thursday's $51,000 allowance feature at Saratoga to assess his chances with Dynamite Miss, and wrinkled his brow.

"You come up here thinking you've got a pretty good chance going into a three-other-than allowance race, and catch a field like this," Alexander lamented. "You've got Bobby Frankel coming off a layoff with a horse that was third in a Grade 3 race, Bill Mott with another filly who has been stakes placed in graded races a few times, and a couple of others who can run."

Such is life at Saratoga.

Alexander won't be coming into the race empty handed. Dynamite Miss won her second-level allowance condition at the seven-furlong distance of Thursday's feature race by 5 3/4 lengths this winter at Gulfstream Park. She also finished second in an optional-claiming sprint after being hard used on the lead. She finished fourth and fifth in her last two starts, and has not run since May 8.

"She was tailing off a bit this spring so I gave her a little break," Alexander said. "She didn't look like she was going anywhere until she got up here last summer and ran very well over this track, so I'm hoping coming back here will work in her favor. It also looks like there is some speed in this field, which should be good for her since she doesn't want to be on the front end."

Dreamers Glory makes her first start since moving to Frankel's barn. In her last race, Dreamers Glory was seventh in Keeneland's Valley View Stakes on turf last October. She finished second in the Grade 3 Boiling Springs Breeders' Cup Handicap at The Meadowlands in her previous start. Dreamers Glory has trained well for her return, posting a bullet six-furlong workout in 1:12.80 at Belmont July 15.

Mott saddles Fast Cookie, a 3-year-old daughter of Deputy Minister who has finished third in the Grade 3 La Troienne and Grade 3 Forward Gal and second in the Grade 2 Astarita.

Fast Cookie has already won at seven furlongs and she finished second in both of her starts at Saratoga.

The horse to catch is Country Romance, who brings a three-race win streak into the race for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Each of Country Romance's three victories have come racing on the lead, two of them over wet tracks.