Fashion Alert looks tough to beat in opening-day Schuylerville
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher thought enough of the precocious Fashion Alert to launch her career against stakes company last month at Belmont Park, and he was rewarded for his confidence with an easy 4 3/4-length victory in the Astoria Stakes. On Friday, Fashion Alert figures to remain unbeaten as the heavy favorite against just four other juvenile fillies in the $150,000 Schuylerville, which highlights the opening-day program of the 2014 Saratoga season.
Pletcher did enter Fashion Alert, a daughter of Old Fashioned, in a maiden race late this spring at Belmont. But when the race did not fill, he went to Plan B, which was the 5 1/2-furlong Astoria.
“She was a mature filly who came in to us fairly early, and we identified her right away as one who’d be precocious,” said Pletcher. “She drew an outside post in the Astoria, which I think helped. She broke a step slow but quickly put herself in a good position, ran pretty well, and has trained exceptionally well since then.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Fashion Alert. Over the past five years, trainer Todd Pletcher is 7 for 36 with a $1.00 ROI at Saratoga with 2-year-olds making their second career start following a winning debut.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Each of Fashion Alert’s four rivals is coming off a win, including Take Charge Brandi and Tulira’s Star, who was purchased privately by Team Valor International. Tulira’s Star was turned over to trainer Rick Mettee off her 3 1/2-length debut victory on June 8 over the Polytrack at Arlington Park, for which she earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.
“Obviously she ran very fast in the synthetic race,” said Mettee. “We’ve been training her mostly on the dirt at Fair Hill. Her works have been okay, although she’s not the type of filly who’ll knock your socks off the way she works. I felt a little better with the way she got over the track at Saratoga when she worked up there. Off her fast race, with her numbers and all, I’d expect her to be competitive there Friday, although this is really a test to see where fits both class-wise and surface-wise.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 2 Tulira's Star. Trainer Richard Mettee has not had a victory in the past five years with any 2-year-old runners (11 starts total).Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Take Charge Brandi kicked off her career with a front-running 2 1/2-length victory going 4 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs, winning with something left under Corey Lanerie. A $435,000 purchase at the 2013 Keeneland September sale, the same sale that produced Fashion Alert, Take Charge Brandi is trained by D. Wayne Lukas for owner Willis Horton, the same combination that won the Travers here last summer with Will Take Charge.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Evrybdymstgetstonz. Trainer Gary Contessa is 2 for 9 with a $4.77 ROI with 2-year-olds in dirt sprints in their second career start following a victory in their debut.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan