Gram needs better trip to tackle tough field in Bolton Landing

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There may be only six entrants in Sunday’s $150,000 Bolton Landing Stakes but there is nary a throwout in the field of 2-year-old fillies hoping to navigate 5 1/2 furlongs over Saratoga’s Mellon turf course.

Wet weather this summer has taken its toll on turf racing here. Through Friday there have been 47 scheduled turf races forced to the dirt. At the same point of the 2022 meet, there were five turf races moved to dirt.

Gram overcame traffic trouble to win a New York-bred maiden special weight race here July 29 for trainer Christophe Clement. Gram has had tough trips in both of her turf sprints, the first one resulting in a runner-up finish to Bolton Landing entrant Astonesthrowaway at Belmont in June.

In that race, Gram got checked back to last entering the far turn and came with a determined run to finish second, beaten just one length.

“I loved the way she quickened quarter pole to wire,” Clement said.

In her maiden victory here, Gram, under Joel Rosario, had to steady going into the far turn then again at the quarter pole. Still, when Rosario got her in the clear, Gram came with a late run that carried her to a three-quarter-length victory.

Three of the six Bolton Landing entrants come out of the Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 29. Amidst Waves, trained by George Weaver, won the race with a clean, pace-prompting trip for her second straight sprinting on turf.

Crown Imperial and She’s Fire finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Colleen, both encountering trouble entering the far turn. There were objections lodged by the connections of both horses, but the Monmouth stewards made no change to the order of finish.

Crown Imperial was steadied and She’s Fire had to check off heels when crowding was created entering the turn.

Daniel Ortiz, assistant trainer to his brother John, said he felt the bumping cost Crown Imperial second.

“She’s just a little filly so any bump would throw her off her stride a little bit,” Daniel Ortiz said.

She’s Fire, trained by Kevin Rice, appeared to take the worst of that bumping incident and wasn’t necessarily persevered with in the lane by jockey Addiel Ayala. Sunday, She’s Fire will be ridden by Jose Ortiz, who was aboard for the filly’s 2 1/2-length maiden July 7 at Belmont.

Amidst Waves, 2 for 2 on turf, will likely go favored in the Bolton Landing after a sweet trip in the Colleen.

“She brings as good of credentials to the race as anybody,” Weaver said.

Weaver had sent out Astonesthrowaway to the aforementioned June 15 victory at Belmont. A month later, she was purchased for $75,000 by Jordan Wycoff out of the Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age Sale and transferred to trainer Todd Pletcher.

Takemetothebeach was a debut winner at Presque Isle July 17, a race from which the second- and third-place finishers came back to win, including Dancing Spirit, who won her maiden at Saratoga last Sunday for Adam Rice.