Thoughtfully pulls away in dominant Adirondack win
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Steve Asmussen completed the first half of the 2020 Saratoga meeting by adding a fourth graded stakes win to his resume after Thoughtfully drew away to a popular and very impressive five-length victory over Make Mischief in Wednesday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Adirondack for 2-year-old fillies.
Thoughtfully gave Asmussen a sweep of the middle legs of the graded stakes series for juveniles run here each summer. He sent out Jackie’s Warrior to an equally eye-catching triumph in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Saturday. Asmussen also saddled two Grade 1 winners earlier in the session, capturing the Vanderbilt with Volatile and the Allen Jerkens with Echo Town.
Thoughtfully is a daughter of Tapit out of the Seeking the Gold mare Pension who brought $950,000 from the Heider Family Stables here a year ago at the Fasig-Tipton sale. She is now undefeated and virtually unchallenged in two starts, having won her debut as a prohibitive 3-5 favorite by 8 3/4 lengths on June 11 at Churchill Downs.
With regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard, Thoughtfully was reserved within easy striking distance of the leaders before briefly dropping back to last between horses approaching the quarter pole. Thoughtfully swung four wide advancing into the stretch, lugged in a bit from a right-hand stick nearing the furlong grounds, but readily overtook the tiring leaders at that point before drawing off with complete authority.
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Make Mischief, runner-up in the Grade 3 Schuylerville on opening day, prompted the pace, continued willingly, but was no match for the winner, finishing second by a length over tiring pacesetter Ava’s Grace. Lucifers Lair, the 2-1 second choice in a compact field of only five 2-year-old fillies, raced wide, fell well back in early stretch, and was eased to the wire.
Thoughtfully covered 6 1/2 furlongs over a fast track in 1:17.20 and paid $4.
“She’s a super nice, classy filly,” Santana said. “Second time out, I didn’t want to kill her early, I wanted to sit behind the speed, and she was happy and comfortable where she was. She always waits until you ask her to go. Today, I let her sit behind horses and waited for the hole to open and when she turned for home, and I asked her, she gave me a really nice kick.”