Pletcher fillies head juvenile crop at summer meet

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Todd Pletcher has been the dominant trainer at Saratoga over the last five summers based primarily on the success of his 2-year-olds, with 83 of his 174 wins (47.7 percent) coming from his juveniles.

Typically, it’s the colts who lead the charge. This year, however, it appears that if Pletcher is to enjoy success again, it will be ladies first.

“For whatever reason, we have more fillies than colts this year, and it seems like our fillies are a little stronger than our colts,” Pletcher said Tuesday at Saratoga.

Among the most anticipated of Pletcher’s fillies who figure to start at this meet is Rachel’s Valentina, the second foal out of the champion mare Rachel Alexandra and sired by Bernardini. She has been working regularly, and Pletcher said she is about two works away from running.

“She acts like a filly with quality that you would certainly expect to improve with distance,” Pletcher said. “When you get a horse like that, it’s exciting to get one with that type of pedigree. It goes without saying that everyone has high hopes. They still have to do it. We’ve been very pleased with the way she’s performed since coming in.”

Anna House, who like Rachel’s Valentina is owned by Stonestreet Stables, runs in Friday’s first open 2-year-old maiden race and shows a gate work in company with Rachel’s Valentina. Other fillies of note are Mighty Mo and Salty Mo, both progeny of Uncle Mo, the 2010 juvenile champion who debuted here.

Pletcher noted that some of his more forward colts at this stage are New York-breds – Inside Straight and Sudden Surprise. Dissident, a Kentucky-bred son of Medaglia d’Oro, will debut long on the turf.

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Chad Brown, second in the Saratoga standings the last several years, won nine juvenile races in 2014. Some of his early juvenile males this year could include Gift Box, a half-brother to Prioress Stakes winner Stonetastic, Economic Model, Ekhtibaar, and Thought Partner.

Among Brown’s fillies are Chip’s Kitten, a full sister to Real Solution, Fitpitcher, and an unnamed War Front filly out of the Grade 2-winning dam Santa Catarina.

Christophe Clement is not known for his prowess with 2-year-olds at this meet. However, this summer, he has “a bigger group of 2-year-olds than I’ve had for a long time,” he said.

Welcoming, a Tapit filly from the family of A.P. Indy and Summer Squall, debuts in Friday’s sixth race with a work tab full of bullets.

“She’s trained very aggressively, with more speed than what we expected,” Clement said.

Abbot, second to Paynes Prairie at Belmont, Devise, and Governor Malibu are colts Clement is expecting to run at this meet, and the fillies Fired Up Sensation and Anais have shown promise.

At 11 of the last 12 Saratoga meets, Steve Asmussen’s stable has won at least four 2-year-old races. Asmussen is coming off a Churchill meet at which he won seven juvenile races, with his most impressive winner arguably being Taxable, who likely will run Aug. 15 in the Adirondack. Paynes Prairie will run in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sanford.

On Tuesday, Nickname, a Scat Daddy filly, and Sawyers Mickey, a Flatter colt, impressed in morning workouts from the gate. Just Wicked just missed sprinting on the turf at Belmont and tries dirt here Friday.

It’s hard to ignore the powerful pedigrees of trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s 2-year-olds, though he usually fares better at Belmont’s fall meet than at Saratoga. In his barn this year is Mohaymen, the co-sale-topper at $2.2 million at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling auction and a half-brother to 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner New Year’s Day.

“Beautiful mover, good mind; we’re happy with him,” McLaughlin said.

Felini, a half-brother to the Grade 1 winner It’s Tricky; Cumberland River, a half-brother to the Grade 1 winner Congaree; and an unnamed colt by Bernardini out of the Grade 2 winner Belle of Perintown are other colts to watch from this barn. Banchina, a half-sister to Imperia – beaten a neck in her debut here last summer – figures to start at the meet.

Trainer Shug McGaughey is hoping to start Sail Ahoy, a half-brother to Point of Entry by Bernardini, and Revved Up, a colt by Candy Ride out of Storm Flag Flying. The filly Game Trail looked good working out of the gate on dirt last weekend at Belmont, besting On Leave and Secure Access, whose pedigrees suggest they’ll prefer turf.

Linda Rice, extremely active at the sales, hopes to run Championofthenile, an $840,000 New York-bred half-brother to the Remsen winner Leave the Light On by Pioneerof the Nile; Freedom Tower, a $950,000 Broken Vow colt; and Seymourdini, a $900,000 Bernardini colt. An unnamed Tiznow filly, whose dam, Kobla Cat, is a half-sister to Quality Road, is another to look for.

Rick Violette will find out early about his 2-year-old crop when he sends out Lemon Liqueur in Friday’s second race and Silky Girl in the sixth.

“Silky Girl has a lot of turf in her pedigree, and that ultimately may be her ‘A’ game, but she’s done awful well on dirt to deserve a chance,” Violette said.

Motown Sound and Bermuda Triangle are colts Violette hopes to debut at this meet.

Nick Zito has more 2-year-olds than he has had in a long time, including some with turf pedigrees such as Silent Assassin from the family of Memories of Silver and Parting Gift from the family of Toussaud.

“There’s so much turf now,” Zito said. “We have to be able to hang in there.”

On dirt, Zito’s runners include Vilma, a son of Broken Vow; an unnamed Candy Ride colt out of the Acorn winner Island Sand; and an Elusive Quality colt out of a dam who is related to Zito’s graded stakes winner Halory Hunter.