Saratoga Spotlight Horse: Nonna Madeline in the Schuylerville

This column, Saratoga Spotlight Horse, will be a regular Horse Racing Nation feature throughout this summer’s meeting.

The Schuylerville (G3) is the first graded stakes race of the 2018 Saratoga meet that opens Friday, when owner Vinnie Viola and trainer Todd Pletcher will try and win the race again, this time with Nonna Madeline.

Nonna Madeline races in the silks of Viola’s St. Elias Stable and is shared in ownership with MeB Racing Stable. The daughter of Candy Ride impressively won her first start at Monmouth Park in June after breaking slowly from the gate, racing between horses, and accelerating quickly to win by 3 ¼ lengths.

“She learned a lot in her first start,” explained Viola. “She didn’t get out of the gate with the pack, so she learned how to rate whether she wanted to or not. Then she showed that she has multiple gears. She’s a half to Nonna Mela [a stakes-winner of $286,670 also owned by Viola] and of course, she is by Candy Ride. We’re very excited.  She looks like she could be a horse that could get even better with more distance.”

Viola won the Schuylerville in 2016 with Sweet Loretta, who also broke her maiden at the Jersey Shore in her first start. Pletcher will be looking to win this race for the sixth time.

Viola, who is quite active purchasing yearlings and 2-year-olds at auction, got Nonna Madeline for a relatively low price, $130,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale.

“We liked her at the sale,” Viola said. “We didn’t think that she would go for much more than that because she was a little bit behind at the sale, but she’s grown really nicely.”

Nonna Madeline will break from post 2 in a large and contentious field of 10. She is the 7-2 morning line second choice behind Catherinethgreat, who is one of three entries from Mark Casse.

The Schuylerville is carded as Race 8 of 10 with post time listed as 5:02 p.m. ET.