Saratoga | Race 9 | Post Time 4:28 p.m. (ET) Earlier this season it was expected that Thorpedo Anna would cast a long shadow over all of the major events in the older female division, including this Grade 1 Ogden Phipps. However, an uncharacteristically poor showing in the La Troienne last time out has her regrouping rather than competing this weekend. That makes this year's Phipps a highly competitive affair lacking a standout. The two rivals who chased home Thorpedo Anna to complete the trifecta in last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff figure to vie for favoritism. Candied (#5) achieved the highest last-out TimeformUS Speed Figure in this field, a 118, when taking down the Allaire Du Pont at Pimlico as a heavy favorite. She had been mildly disappointing in her seasonal debut at Keeneland, but she apparently needed that start and bounced back to form last time. She's obviously a contender, but I slightly prefer main rival Raging Sea (#4). This Chad Brown mare earned the second Grade 1 victory of her career when upsetting Thorpedo Anna to win the La Troienne on Derby weekend. The race didn't come up particularly fast and she got a perfect trip. Yet that was just 1 1/16 miles, and she's at her best going this 9-furlong distance, the same trip over which she won the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at the expense of Idiomatic last summer. Raging Sea is reliable and consistent, and seems like a deserving favorite. I just want to get a little more creative with an alternative from the La Troienne. Dorth Vader (#1) finished behind the two Chad Brown runners last time, but there's an argument to be made that she was unlucky not to win the race. She had to steady slightly into the clubhouse turn as Randomized crossed over to lead the field, and proceeded to get rank when settling into the pocket thereafter. She worked out a good trip to the quarter pole, but then tried to come through an opening on the rail before Joel Rosario on the leader shut off that path. John Velazquez was forced to alter course, but Dorth Vader was still running on strongly despite encountering more traffic at the wire. She clearly took a big step forward second off the layoff, and she had shown this kind of talent during her 3-year-old season when just missing with a 120 TimeformUS Speed Figure in the 2023 Acorn. She figures to get somewhat overlooked on the tote board, and could be a serious threat as long as she works out a better trip this time.