Silver Mission no cinch in Aspirant

New York-bred 2-year-olds will be shooting for two nice purses on the Saturday card at Finger Lakes in the Aspirant and Lady Finger stakes.

Both $100,000-added races are run under futurity conditions, with owners paying to nominate, then making two sustaining payments and ponying up $1,000 to enter. The Aspirant has a total purse of $120,950, and the Lady Finger, for fillies, will be worth $116,775.

The Aspirant and Lady Finger will both be run at six furlongs and are likely to produce starters for the richest race of the Finger Lakes season, the $200,000-estimated New York Breeders’ Futurity, which also is a six-furlong race for statebreds.

Silver Mission, trained by Todd Pletcher, is the only Aspirant runner to have won twice. He also is the only stakes winner in the 11-horse field, having won the $181,000 Tremont, an open stakes at Belmont Park in June.

But Silver Mission, who is 2 for 3 in his career, was beaten as the even-money favorite in his most recent start, the Rockville Centre Stakes for New York-breds at Belmont on July 16. Silver Mission prompted the early pace in that six-furlong race, took the lead nearing the stretch, but then weakened to finish third, beaten 10 lengths.

The runner-up, Ethan Hunt, also trained by Pletcher, is another Aspirant entrant. A three-time starter, he is still a maiden.

Pletcher regrouped with Silver Mission following the Rockville Centre. He didn’t work him for four weeks but has given him four timed drills since Aug. 12.

Freud’s Friend, trained by Charlton Baker, and Macho Miah, trained by Jeremiah Engelhart, also are contenders.

Freud’s Friend has made both of his starts on turf at Saratoga. He won a statebred maiden race, then was third in the open Skidmore Stakes. Macho Miah was a debut winner at Saratoga.

Not to be overlooked is Eddie’s Gift, who races for trainer Michael Ferraro and owner-breeder Barry Schwartz. Eddie’s Gift won a Finger Lakes maiden race first time out, then shipped to Presque Isle, where he was narrowly beaten while second in an optional-claiming race.

In the Lady Finger, Michael Hushion and James Ryerson will send out Saratoga debut winners.

Very Fashionable won a 5 1/2-furlong turf race for Hushion and Schwartz, earning a 62 Beyer Speed Figure.

Ransom Drop earned a 46 Beyer in her win but has every right to improve the second time out. She raced in traffic along the inside over a sloppy track and then rallied willingly to get up by a nose in a four-horse blanket finish. She paid $54.

Ransom Drop was purchased for $60,000 at the Fasig-Tipton sale of 2-year-olds in training at Timonium in May. She is a half-sister to 4-year-old Woodville, who this summer won her first two career starts impressively at Saratoga.