Nonna Madeline takes on Casse's trio in Schuylerville Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Nine maiden winners from six different tracks as well as a stakes-placed maiden make up a competitive field of 10 2-year-old fillies entered in Friday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville, the first of 61 stakes this summer at Saratoga.

The Schuylerville, run at six furlongs, is the co-feature along with the Grade 3, $150,000 Lake George Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf on the 10-race opening-day program, which begins at 1 p.m. Eastern. The forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80s.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will be seeking a record seventh Schuylerville win when he sends out Nonna Madeline. She broke a step slowly from the rail in her June 23 debut going five furlongs at Monmouth Park, but made an eye-catching middle move under Joe Bravo to win by 3 1/4 lengths while wrapped up.

“I thought for a minute I over-instructed Joe because I told him, ‘I like this filly a lot. I don’t want you to just blast off from the fence. I want to win, but I’d also like to teach her something,’ ” Pletcher said. “I thought that part of it was good, that she was able to sit behind horses, made a pretty explosive move on the turn, and Joe kind of wrapped up on her from there. I thought her works leading into that were very impressive.”

On Friday, Nonna Madeline will be ridden by John Velazquez, who has been aboard five of Pletcher’s six Schuylerville winners.

Trainer Steve Asmussen has won the Schuylerville three times, most recently in 2013 with Brazen Persuasion. On Friday, he sends out Lady Apple, who has finished second in both her starts. She was purchased privately by Phoenix Thoroughbreds after her debut and was beaten just a neck by Athens Queen in the $150,000 Astoria at Belmont on June 7.

“She was tenacious and kept coming,” Asmussen said. “I would expect her to run well.”

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Trainer Mark Casse has Catherinethegreat, Tapping Pearl, and Eyeinthesky entered in the Schuylerville. Catherinethegreat, who has ducked in slightly in both her starts, won her second race by 10 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park. Both her starts have been over wet tracks.

“She’s a pretty good horse,” Casse said. “I wouldn’t let the slop worry you. I felt going into that race she was going to run huge, slop or not.”

Tapping Pearl, a two-length debut winner at Churchill Downs on June 29, worked too well here last Friday to leave her in the barn, Casse said.

“We’re not much on winning first time out,” Casse said. “Our horses tend to move up from their first start. If she does that, she should be very tough.”

Eyeinthesky won first out and then ran spotty in the Astoria, but was beaten only three-quarters of a length after straightening out in the lane.

Norm Casse, Mark’s son, sends out the Churchill debut winner Fightress.

Congrats Gal showed good speed in a debut win at Laurel. Lonely Road, Serengeti Empress, and Blame the Frog complete the field.