Saratoga: 11 juvenile fillies are in Schuylerville on opening day
Closing Act will look to preserve her undefeated record for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen in Thursday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Schuylerville, the opening day highlight of the 40-day summer meet at Saratoga.
The Schuylerville, a six-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies, is slated as race 9 on Thursday’s 10-race card and is the first of 71 stakes to be run at the meet worth a cumulative $20.8 million. First post is 1:10 p.m. EDT.
The Astoria was Closing Act’s first test against winners after graduating on debut by a neck in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden tilt in May at Churchill Downs. She is out of the stakes-placed Master Command mare Evening Show and is from the family of multiple graded stakes-winners Mea Domina and Greek Sun.
Tyler Gaffalione picks up the mount from post 6.
Trainer Butch Reid Jr. has entered a talented pair of contenders in debut maiden winners Carmelina and Kiss for Luck.
Cash is King and LC Racing’s Carmelina enters off a dominant 5 3/4-length debut graduation on June 18 at Parx Racing. The daughter of Maximus Mischief led at every point of call in the 4 1/2-furlong sprint under Mychel Sanchez to draw off easily down the lane and post the victory in a final time of 53.77 seconds. She garnered a 70 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.
"She had shown signs as she was training along. She trained very well and reminded me a lot of her daddy,” said Reid, who trained Maximus Mischief to a victory in the 2018 Remsen (G2). “She was a very forward filly and did everything we asked of her and she put in a performance to match it.”
Reid added that Carmelina has shown enough professionalism in her training to be competitive either on or off the lead.
"She's got a very good head on her shoulders,” Reid said. “We breezed her in company and put her behind horses and let her eat a little dirt. She handled everything very well. Nothing seems to faze her too much. We think she'll give a good effort."
Carmelina was a $44,000 purchase as a weanling at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December Mixed Sale. Bred in Pennsylvania by Lillith E. Boucher, she is the first foal produced from the stakes-winning St Averil mare Complete St.
Swilcan Stables’ Kentucky homebred Kiss for Luck also graduated on debut in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden at Parx, landing a 1 3/4-length triumph on May 23. The Accelerate bay broke fifth of six from post 5, but recovered well to take command early and notch the frontrunning score under Paco Lopez in a final time of 54.95 seconds, garnering a 36 Beyer for the effort.
"She didn't get away real clean,” Reid said. “She ducked in behind horses and looked around a little bit. I thought it was a solid effort for a first-time starter. I was thinking it would be way too short for her - she's a natural route horse. So, to get the money in there was a little bit of a bonus and, for me, the numbers aren't all that significant on 2-year-olds. I look more for style and how they do it rather than what kind of number they throw. I think her best game will be when they really stretch it out in the fall. The six furlongs will not be a problem.”
Kiss for Luck, who Reid said schooled successfully at the gate in preparation for her stakes debut, is out the Mineshaft mare Vero Amore - runner-up in the 2014 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) at Pimlico Race Course. She is a half-sister to the 2020 champion 2-year-old Filly Vequist, who Swilcan Stables co-owned and Reid trained to a pair of Grade 1 scores in Saratoga’s Spinaway and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland.
Vero Amore proved to be an astute acquisition for Reid, who bought her for $15,000 as a 2-year-old at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
“It's been a solid family. Unfortunately, this is the last one in the line as she passed away a couple of years ago,” said Reid. “She was a godsend from when we found her for $15,000. She's been quite a producer for us all the way along. One thing she did was throw a lot of fillies, so we can perpetuate it. That pedigree will be around for a while."
Manor Stable’s Dancing Diana was a visually impressive winner of her June 17 debut sprinting five furlongs at Delaware Park for conditioner James Lawrence, II. She emerged from the inside post in the field of four and held a slim lead over Ursuline down the backstretch before drawing off in the turn and powering home a 7 1/2-length winner. She was awarded a 66 Beyer for the victory.
"We were very pleased with how this filly trained up to the race and her professionalism, and she carried that through her race,” said Lawrence. “She broke well and listened to the rider - whenever he wanted to ask her to go, she responded. If she can do that Thursday, she should be well placed. She's a very intelligent filly.”
Dancing Diana has had one work since her win, a five-furlong breeze in 1:03 on July 1 at Delaware.
"I've been extremely happy with her in the morning,” Lawrence said. “She seems to be eating well and she's enthusiastic in her training. We're hoping to ship up to Saratoga on Monday and as long as all goes well, we're looking forward to a big race on Thursday."
The Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Bolt d’Oro was purchased for $100,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale and is the first foal out of the dual-winning Scat Daddy mare Oh Scatty Oh. She is a direct maternal descendant of the 1958 champion 2-year-old filly and influential broodmare Quill.
MKW Racing’s Wine On Tap boasts a field-best 76 Beyer for a debut maiden victory on June 18 at Belmont for Hall of Fame conditioner Todd Pletcher. The Tapit grey pounced from just off the pace in the five-furlong sprint to draw clear down the stretch and cross the wire three lengths in front.
Out of the graded stakes-winning Quality Road mare Princess La Quinta, Wine On Tap was a $600,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Completing the field are the Gary Contessa-trained first-time starter Becky’s Joker, whose second dam is multiple stakes-winner Vertical Vision; Astoria runner-up Union Suit; Status Seeker, a determined winner on debut for trainer Rudy Rodriguez; the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Saratoga Secret, whose dam is a half-sister to the multiple graded stakes-placed millionaire Lookin At Lee; Mila Junes, a half-length winner from off the pace in her June 16 debut for trainer Kent Sweezey; and Sugar Treat, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Absolute Grit for Hall of Fame conditioner Mark Casse.