Sacred Wish with a lot to prove against tough rivals in Wilton

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The way Sacred Wish worked on the turf at Belmont Park last week, one might have expected the 3-year-old filly to make her next start on the grass.

While she eventually may find her way to that surface, Sacred Wish will remain on dirt for now and is one of five entered in Friday’s $135,000 Wilton Stakes at Saratoga. The Wilton will be run out of the Wilson chute at one mile.

Sacred Wish, a daughter of Not This Time, won her maiden by four lengths March 5 at Oaklawn Park, a race which resulted in a majority interest in her being sold to Black Type Thoroughbreds and turned over to trainer George Weaver. In her first start for those connections, Sacred Wish ran second to Affirmative Lady in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. In her next start, Sacred Wish finished last of nine in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan.

Weaver said Sacred Wish acted nervous in the Black-Eyed Susan and then John Velazquez was forced to check the filly hard turning up the backside.

“She just pitched in the towel. I don’t have a great explanation for it,” Weaver said.

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In her most recent start, Sacred Wish finished second to the New York-bred Sunset Louise in an open-company first-level allowance. Sacred Wish looked poised to go by Sunset Louise, but that filly repelled her and won over a wet track for the third time in as many starts.

“It wasn’t a bad race. At least we got on track.” Weaver said. “The filly’s obviously got talent, just trying to figure out what her best distance is and surface. She worked well on the grass and at some point we ought to try it, but this is a short field and a good spot for her.”

Velazquez will ride Sacred Wish from post 3.

Accede and Randomized finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Grade 1 Acorn for Chad Brown June 9. Brown felt Accede got bothered a bit early from the horse to her inside and things got tight a little for her down the backside. Before that, Accede ran a solid third behind Red Carpet Ready and Munnys Gold in the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs.

Randomized is also lightly raced. She jumped from a 5 1/2-length maiden score into the Grade 1 Acorn, where she didn’t appear to enjoy the kickback hitting her and she finished sixth, 11 1/2 lengths behind Pretty Mischievous and Dorth Vader, who were heads apart at the wire.

With an outside draw Friday, Randomized should be able to work out a cleaner trip under Irad Ortiz Jr.

“Maybe in a shorter field she can be more prominent and it might help her,” Brown said.

Unsung Melody finished second in the same maiden race at Oaklawn that Sacred Wish ran third in before both came back to win their maidens in their next starts. Unsung Melody, trained by John Ortiz, is coming out of a pace-pressing allowance win going six furlongs at Ellis Park on June 18.

Luis Saez rides from post 2.

Just Katherine, third in the June 16 allowance race in which Sacred Wish was second, rounds out the field.

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