Schuylerville draws 11 on Saratoga's opening-day card

Nine maiden winners, one stakes winner, and one first-time starter comprise a field of 11 2-year-old fillies entered Friday for Thursday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Schuylerville Stakes, the opening-day feature on a 10-race Saratoga card.

The Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse hopes to kick off a big opening week in Saratoga when he sends out Sugar Treat, a half-length debut winner over Gulfstream Park’s synthetic surface on June 10.

Casse wasn’t necessarily looking to debut Sugar Treat on synthetic, but that’s the maiden race that was available when she was ready to run and he did purchase her out of the OBS March sale following a breeze on synthetic.

In her debut, Sugar Treat was up close early, dropped back being on the inside, then rallied outside to run down loose-on-the-lead Escape Room.

“I’m not really sure how she won,” said Casse, who won the 2016 Schuylerville with Catherinethegreat. “It was a very troubled trip. It says a lot for her that she was able to win. She’s trained really well on dirt.”

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Sugar Treat, by Enticed, drew post 11 and will be ridden by Flavien Prat.

Trainers Todd Pletcher, D. Wayne Lukas, and Steve Asmussen have combined to win 15 runnings of the Schuylerville and they each have runners in this year’s edition.

Pletcher will send out Wine On Tap, a three-length debut winner at Belmont on June 18. Lukas sends out Saratoga Secret, a three-length debut winner at Ellis Park on June 23, while Asmussen sends out Closing Act, who is 2 for 2 including a 3 1/4-length victory in the Astoria Stakes at Belmont on June 11.

Others entered include Carmelina, Becky’s Joker, a first-time starter from the barn of Gary Contessa, Union Suit, Status Seeker, Kiss for Luck, Dancing Diana, and Mila Junes.

The 10-race card at Saratoga drew 109 entries, including also-eligibles and main-track-only entrants.

First post for the opening-day card at Saratoga will be 1:10 p.m.

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