Schuylerville coming up light
ELMONT, N.Y. – Typically, the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes doesn’t attract a large field. In three of the last four years, the opening-day feature at Saratoga has drawn only six juvenile fillies. This year, the racing office could be scrambling to get that many.
As of Thursday, only three of the 15 nominated to the six-furlong race were considered definite for the $150,000 Schuylerville, to be run on the July 18 opening-day card at Saratoga. The definite runners are Fashion Alert, the winner of the Astoria Stakes as a first-time starter; Take Charge Brandi, a debut winner at Churchill for D. Wayne Lukas; and Tulira’s Star, who was purchased privately by Team Valor International after her debut win for trainer James DiVito at Arlington. Mast Cove, a winner for maiden-claiming $30,000, is possible if the field remains short, which seems likely.
Trainer Bret Calhoun, who sent out Bahnah to a dead-heat win in the Schuylerville last year, said he has backed off Promise Me Silver, the recent winner of the Debutante, and likely won’t run her until the fall. Calhoun planned to run his other nominee, Vivian Da Bling, in Saturday’s $100,000 TTA Sales Futurity at Lone Star.
Tulira’s Star on Wednesday shipped from Rick Mettee’s Fair Hill barn to Saratoga, where she was scheduled to work Saturday for the Schuylerville. Tulira’s Star, a daughter of Congrats, won her debut by 3 1/2 lengths over Arlington Park’s synthetic surface June 8 and was purchased shortly thereafter by Team Valor.
“According to Jim DiVito, he said he had seen her train on the dirt, and he always thought she went well on the dirt,” Barry Irwin, president of Team Valor, said. “The exercise rider who breezed her twice for us thought she went well on the dirt.”
Irwin said Joe Bravo would ride Tulira’s Star in the Schuylerville.
The Grade 3 Sanford for 2-year-old males on July 19 is expected to draw a slightly larger field led by maiden winners Big Trouble, Nonna’s Boy, and Mr. Z. Silverhill, the runner-up in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor, is expected to run, according to his trainer, Calhoun, as is Rod McLeon and possibly Governmentshutdown.
Eight graded stakes winners are pointing to the Grade 1 Diana on July 19: Abaco, Alterite, Caroline Thomas, Coffee Clique, Discreet Marq, Solid Appeal, Somali Lemonade, and Stephanie’s Kitten.
The field for the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 20 will remain in flux until the connections of Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose winner Untapable announce whether she’s running in that race or the Haskell. Among those expected for the CCA Oaks are My Miss Sophia, Stopchargingmaria, Taketheodds, and Unbridled Forever.