Only five will face heavily favored Counting Stars in Alabama
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Counting Stars looms a short-priced favorite in a field of six entered Sunday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles.
Counting Stars will seek to add the Alabama to earlier Grade 1 victories this year in the Acorn in June and the Coaching Club American Oaks in July. A victory in the Alabama would not only likely clinch a division championship for Counting Stars, but also put her in rare company as a filly to win three Grade 1 stakes at Saratoga. Ginger Punch and November Snow both won three Grade 1 stakes here, though that was over two seasons.
Counting Stars benefits from the fact the Acorn, for the last three years, was moved to Saratoga as part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival held the first week in June.
Counting Stars, trained by Mark Casse for West Point Thoroughbreds, drew the outside post in a field of six. Casse expressed no concern about the 1 1/4 miles, a rare distance for 3-year-old fillies to run.
“I’m not worried about that,” Casse said.
Irad Ortiz Jr. is named to ride Counting Stars. Ortiz has not ridden since he injured his foot in a freaky pre-race, on-track incident prior to the seventh race on Aug. 8. Ortiz is named to ride two horses on Saturday’s card.
Counting Stars is the only stakes winner in the field. Always a Runner finished second in the Coaching Club, but trainer Chad Brown said after that race that the Kentucky Oaks winner will be pointed to the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx on Sept. 19. In the Alabama, Brown will start My Guns Loaded, who has won her last two starts, one at seven furlongs and one at a mile.
Trainer Peter Eurton has entered A. P.’s Girl, who finished third in both the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and Monomoy Girl Stakes.
Maiden winners Nycon, Ati Girl, and Measure, the latter trained by Casse and who finished third in the CCA Oaks, round out the field.
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