Pletcher and Brown look for fast starts at Saratoga meet
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Todd Pletcher’s quest for his 13th Saratoga trainer’s title and Chad Brown’s bid for his first begin Friday, with both horsemen having top contenders in stakes run on the opening-day 10-race card.
In the Grade 2, $200,000 Lake George, for 3-year-old fillies on turf, Brown sends out Ancient Secret and Elysea’s World in a 12-horse field. Brown won last year’s Lake George with Mrs McDougal.
In the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes, for juvenile fillies on dirt, Pletcher sends out Sweet Loretta, a seven-length debut winner at Monmouth Park, against eight other maiden winners. Pletcher has won five runnings of the Schuylerville, most recently in 2014 with Fashion Alert.
Over the last five years, Pletcher and Brown have run one-two in the Saratoga trainer standings. At Belmont, however, Brown won 38 races while Pletcher finished second with 25 wins.
Ancient Secret, a New York-bred daughter of Kantharos, is 3 for 3, having defeated New York-breds twice and won the Wild Applause Stakes against open company by a head. This will be her first start around two turns and at 1 1/16 miles.
“She’s never run two turns, so that would be a question, but she’s acting like she’s up for it,” Brown said.
Elysea’s World, an Irish-bred daughter of Champs Elysees, was visually impressive winning a first-level allowance race at Belmont in May, her first in 11 months. But she came back four weeks later and ran a dull sixth behind Time and Motion in the Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont.
“She was boxed in the rear of the race last time and got very discouraged and basically just quit through the lane,” Brown said. “I drew a line through it. Since that race she’s trained very well.”
Elysea’s World drew post 2 while Ancient Secret will break from post 5 in the Lake George.
Lake George contender Tin Type Gal won her turf debut here last summer and then took the Grade 3 Miss Grillo at Belmont. She didn’t make her seasonal debut until June 19, when she finished fifth in the Wild Applause, beaten only two lengths by Ancient Secret. A move forward off that race makes her a major player in this spot, although she will break from post 11.
Outsider Art was a maiden winner here last summer for Jonathan Sheppard, who has won at least once race at Saratoga every year starting in 1969.
Also entered in the Lake George were Baciami Piccola, Diamond Fields, Enjoy Yourself, Flora Dora, Gone Away, Sky My Sky, Thundering Sky and Try Your Luck.
In the Schuylerville, nine debut-winning 2-year-old fillies from five different tracks comprise the field for the six-furlong race.
Sweet Loretta, a daughter of Tapit who brought $750,000 as a yearling, romped to a seven-length victory at Monmouth Park for Pletcher.
“I’m not sure how deep the field she ran against was, but I felt she was really impressive,” Pletcher said. “This is a big step from a maiden at Monmouth to the Schuylerville, but hopefully she can take the next step.”
Sweet Loretta will break from post 4 under John Velazquez.
Trainer Steve Asmussen will seek his fourth Schuylerville victory when he sends out Made Me Shiver, who smoked to a 5 3/4-length victory going 4 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs on June 17. Made Me Shiver, a Canadian-bred daughter of Maclean’s Music, blew out three furlongs in 37.91 seconds Tuesday morning over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track.
Made Me Shiver will break from post 5 under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Others entered in the Schuylerville include Fun, Harlands Thunder, Inspired Flight, Lightning Dove, Olive Branch, Platinum Spark, and Summer Sally.
A total of 102 horses were entered for the 10-race card, 94 in the body of the races and eight also-eligibles.
Friday’s card also includes a third-level allowance race for fillies and mares on turf featuring the return to the races of Sentiero Italia. She won the Grade 2 Lake Placid here last summer and the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont. Sentiero Italia, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, has not run since finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf last November.
First post Friday is 1 p.m. Eastern. The pick six, which begins in race 5, will have a guaranteed pool of $150,000.
According to weather.com, the high should be in the upper 80s on Friday with a 50 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms, though later in the day.