Oscar's Encore looks to continue comeback in Galway Stakes
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Oscar’s Encore won her career debut here last August, but that would be the highlight of her 2-year-old season. She lost her next two starts, both stakes, and suffered a hamstring injury in a race at Woodbine that kept her away from the races for nine months.
Oscar’s Encore won her 3-year-old debut last month at Saratoga, a performance that signaled, on speed figures anyway, that she improved significantly from 2 to 3. An effort similar or better to that makes her a major player in Sunday’s $200,000 Galway Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Saratoga.
Oscar’s Encore, a daughter of Oscar Performance trained by Joe Sharp, was a pace-pressing one-length winner of a first-level allowance here July 3. Next on Stage and Minute by Minute, the eighth- and ninth-place finishers from that race, both came back to win their next starts, albeit on dirt.
“She’s just really come back great this year. We’re really excited about her on Saturday,” Sharp said. “She’s going to have to take another step forward, but based on the race she ran off the bench and with the timing and spacing, I think she’s ready to.”
Jose Ortiz, the meet’s leading rider, has the call from post 3.
Sharp also entered Queen Juno, who finished second against the older Australian-bred mare Heat Missile last out at odds of 43-1. As of Thursday, Sharp said it was only “50-50” that Queen Juno would run based on the quick two-week turnaround.
Mythical, a six-time stakes winner on dirt, will be trying turf for the first time following defeats in the Jersey Girl Stakes and Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes at Saratoga. The speedy filly is by St. Patrick’s Day, whose progeny are 0 for 30 with six seconds in turf sprints. Jorge Delgado trains for Arindel.
Triskelion, a son of Leinster trained by Rusty Arnold, comes into the Galway off a head victory in the Pea Patch Stakes on July 5 at Ellis Park. In that start, she raced three wide and was the fortunate winner of a head bob over Beach Heist and Just A Minute in three-way photo finish.
Mauna Loa, trained by Mark Casse, is a half-sister to Fanshell Beach, a Wesley Ward trainee who won the Riverside Rush Stakes two weeks ago at Ellis Park after finishing fifth in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at the Royal Ascot meeting.
Mauna Loa is coming off a nine-length allowance win going 5 1/2 furlongs over Woodbine’s Tapeta track on July 18. She won her career debut from off the pace when sprinting on turf last October.
Gerrards Cross won the July 5 Monmouth County Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in front-running fashion.
Epic Lady Luck finished third in a first-level allowance on Jan. 8 at Gulfstream but hasn’t been out since. Trained by Bryan Lynch then, she makes her first start for George Weaver in this spot.
Cadenza, winner of the Take the A Train Stakes for Brad Cox at Aqueduct in April, finished third in both the Coronation Cup and Soaring Softly.