Pedigree Stars: 5 New York-breds to watch Thursday

Thursday’s card at Saratoga includes a pair of sprints for New York-breds. An array of 2-year-olds from the first crops of Arrogate, Practical Joke and Classic Empire are represented as well as Into Mischief and Honor Code.

Race 5: $85,000 maiden special weight, 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs 

This race for New York-bred sprinters includes a couple well-bred first-time starters.

Key Point. Chad Brown’s colt has a fast-slow breeze pattern. He paired with Aggregation, an unraced Flatter 2-year-old entered in race 1, in his last two works. The bay colt was professional, switching leads properly and holding a straight course while moving easier than his stablemate. Key Point kept his neck in front of Aggregation both times.

Pedigree: Key Point (Into Mischief - Polite Smile, by Distorted Humor) has sprinter-miler breeding. He may go farther with maturity. He is the second foal out of a half-sister to American Anthem, who captured a trio of Grade 2 sprints – the Woody Stephens, Lazaro Barrera and San Carlos Stakes. Key Point’s third generation includes 1998 champion filly Banshee Breeze. The Into Mischief-Distorted Humor bloodline cross has produced multiple Grade 1 winner and first-crop sire Practical Joke, multiple Grade 2 winner Life is Good, Grade 3 winners Fulsome and Naughty Joker and listed winner Quebec.

Happy Happy B. Robertino Diodoro’s colt has a series of four- and five-furlong breezes at Saratoga. His two most recent breezes were four furlongs, each in 48 seconds and change.

Pedigree: Happy Happy B (Honor Code - Inclination, by Victory Gallop) may handle middle to classic distances as he matures. Most of Happy Happy B’s half-siblings won within their first three starts, including Keepmeinmind. He won the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) and was in the money in multiple stakes, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the Breeders' Futurity (G1) and the Jim Dandy (G2). Happy Happy B’s half-brother, In Jack’s Memory, placed in the Amsterdam Stakes (G2). The sixth race, for 2-year-old fillies sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over the lawn, attracted an oversubscribed field of 16, including four entered for the main track only.

Race 6: $85,000 maiden special weight, 2-year-old fillies, 5 1/2 furlongs, turf

Adversity. Mark Casse’s filly posted two sharp works at Saratoga, including a five-furlong gate breeze on July 28. She breezed in company with Love to Run, a 2-year-old Connect filly who was sixth in her debut Sunday. A gray filly on the small side, Adversity received a lively hand ride throughout and stayed a neck in front of her rival. Aside from her pretty gray coat, Adversity resembles her sprinter dam rather than her imposingly large sire. Five of Arrogate’s eight starters have hit the board, and he is seeking his first winner.

Pedigree: Adversity (Arrogate - Artemis Agrotera, by Roman Ruler) was a $335,000 OBS April purchase. She has a miler pedigree and may go farther with maturity. Adversity is a half-sister to Albany Stakes winner Chestertown. Their dam won a pair of Grade 1 sprints, the Frizette and Ballerina. Adversity’s second dam Indy Glory is a stakes-winning full sister to Grade 2 winner Stephen Got Even, sire of champion 2-year-old Stevie Wonderboy, plus Grade 1 winners First Dude and I Want Revenge.

Cricket West. Jorge Abreu’s filly has recorded works at Saratoga dating to June. Her most recent was a four-furlong gate move in 48.19 seconds, seventh-best of 43 for the day.

Pedigree: Cricket West (Majestic City - Special Charm, by Dansili) has a miler pedigree. All three of Cricket West’s half-siblings hit the board in their debuts. Her dam is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner and producer Charm the Giant, dam of multiple stakes winner Charm the Maker, who in turn bore Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Rock Your World. Charm the Giant also produced Grade 2-winning turf router Liam the Charmer.  Special Charm’s three-quarter sister Charming Legacy was placed in multiple graded stakes on turf from a mile to 10 furlongs.

Pimenova. Danny Gargan’s filly is one to watch down the road. She has a series of four-furlong works at Saratoga dating to June. Her final breeze was four furlongs in 47.44 second, second-best of 43 for the day.

Pedigree: Pimenova (Practical Joke - Queen of The Night, by Sadler's Wells) went through the ring three times. The latest was a $295,000 reserve not attained at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale. She may handle longer sprints to middle distances. Pimenova’s half-siblings are best at longer sprints to classic distances on the lawn and are not win-early types. Pimenova’s dam Queen of The Night was third in her only start, a 1 1/4-mile event in Ireland. Queen of The Night is a half-sister to Falbrav, who was Great Britain’s 2003 horse of the year and the winner of six Group 1 stakes, including the Juddmonte International, Hong Kong Cup, Queen Elizabeth II and the Eclipse Stakes.