When Michael Maker and Paradise Farms decided to claim debuting colt One More Freud for $35,000 earlier this month, the trainer had a feeling that the juvenile might do some running. He didn’t expect a 14 1/2-length victory at Saratoga, however, nor did he expect to have the likely favorite in the $100,000 Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday. “I think that kind of performance always surprises you,” Maker said. “But he was a very attractive horse and he had some good workouts, so we took a chance.” One More Freud could have taken down the field of five at Saratoga in whichever way he chose, but instead of gunning for the early lead, the colt managed to settle early. Closing from third, he saved ground on the far turn and unleashed a furious bid in the stretch to pull away at will for trainer Tom Amoss. Now in Maker’s barn, the colt will go from a claiming horse to a highly touted stakes contender in a matter of weeks. The 76 Beyer Speed Figure he earned in his first start towers above all others in the Sapling field, and Maker described it as a great opportunity to test him at a mile around two turns. “I have every indication that he’ll appreciate the distance,” Maker said. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Trainer Joe Orseno said Thursday that Aye Eye will be scratched as he intends to keep him at Saratoga for the Grade 1 Hopeful on Sept. 1. Jorge Duarte said that Avigliano may scratch, which would cut the field down to five. Violet Stakes There won’t be much pace in the $100,000 Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday, but there seems to be a very clear top pair in the field of seven. Breath Away and Ribaltagaia will skip potential starts at Saratoga in search of a more forgiving stakes opportunity in New Jersey. After racing through the winter in Florida, trainer Miguel Clement brought Breath Away back from a three-month layoff earlier this month. The 5-year-old mare tracked the early leaders but ultimately finished sixth in a Saratoga allowance. “We were maybe a little bit too kind to her because she was making a winning run at one point and didn’t quite sustain her run,” Clement said. “That was more due to fitness.” In the spring, Clement worked closely with the mare when she came up short in six stakes tries. The trainer said that the Violet provided a well-timed opportunity for her to break through, and she could be an unexpected early leader in a race without a clear pacesetter. Trainer Graham Motion was prepared to ship Ribaltagaia from Fair Hill to New York for the $150,000 Perfect Sting on Friday, but he balked when Dynamic Pricing, winner of the Grade 1 Just a Game in June, was only given a four-pound weight penalty, matching others in the field who have won less prestigious graded races. “I just don’t understand that, that a horse who won a Grade 1 a month ago carries the same weight as any horse that’s won a graded race,” Motion said. “It makes no sense.” Ribaltagaia made her North American debut in December, closing well to finish fourth in the Grade 3 Suwannee River at Gulfstream Park. Motion described her preparation for this race as “uneventful” and said that she should handle the 1 1/16-mile distance. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.