Wilson Chute makes its return with Wilton Stakes
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Tarabi, twice placed in Grade 1 stakes at 2, returns to stakes company Thursday when she heads a field of nine 3-year-old fillies entered in the inaugural $135,000 Wilton Stakes, the first race to be run out the rebuilt Wilson Chute at Saratoga.
The Wilton is the co-feature on Thursday’s 10-race opening-day card that also includes the Grade 3, $175,000 Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies. First post is 1:05 p.m.
The Wilson Chute, dismantled in 1972, was reconstructed during the winter/spring by the New York Racing Association in order to offer one-mile dirt races. In 1992, NYRA offered 25 one-mile races that began on the turn, but inside post positions had a distinct advantage, and those races were not brought back in future years.
Jockeys have expressed some safety concerns regarding the chute because of how short a run there is to the backstretch turn. Jockeys were expected to break horses out of the gate in a sort of trial run Tuesday.
After winning her career debut at Ellis Park last August, Tarabi came to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Spinaway, where, after bobbling at the break, she recovered to run second to Echo Zulu. Tarabi would finish third to Echo Zulu in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar.
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Trainer Cherie DeVaux gave Tarabi an extended break after the Breeders’ Cup. When she began to train her earlier this year, a minor issue came up so she had to stop on Tarabi again. In her 3-year-old debut June 18 at Churchill Downs, Tarabi finished second to Ontheonesandtwos in a seven-furlong first-level allowance race.
“I thought she needed the race going into it,” DeVaux said. “On numbers, she improved from 2 to 3, which is what we really like to see and she’s moved forward in her works.”
Javier Castellano rides Tarabi from post 7.
Trainer Todd Pletcher entered a trio of 3-year-old fillies in the Wilton. Goddess of Fire, a debut winner at Saratoga last August, finished second this spring in both the Rachel Alexandra and Gulfstream Park Oaks – both Grade 2 stakes – before running 11th in the Kentucky Oaks, her most recent start.
“It was a big effort at Gulfstream, she’s consistently run well,” Pletcher said. “She didn’t fire her best shot in the Kentucky Oaks. This should be a bit of class relief.”
Goddess of Fire will break from the rail under John Velazquez.
Favor won two one-mile races at Gulfstream and finished third to Echo Zulu in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks. She then was fifth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes behind Interstatedaydream on May 20 at Pimlico.
“I thought she ran sneaky good in the Fair Grounds race,” Pletcher said. “In Pimlico, she was never really able to get in a good position and it never unfolded right. This seemed like a logical place to bring her back.”
Tyler Gaffalione rides from post 6.
A Mo Reay began her 3-year-old season at Keeneland, where she was eased. Two months later, she won a one-turn mile allowance race at Laurel Park by 2 1/4 lengths.
Angitude, trained by Brad Cox, and Gina Romantica, trained by Chad Brown, are both 2 for 3 and coming off first-level allowance wins at Churchill and Belmont, respectively.
St Maarten Girl, Sweet Solare (cross-entered in Friday’s $150,000 Coronation Cup), and Let’s Be Clear complete the field.