Calhoun sees Honorable Miss as Finley'sluckycharm's springboard

Multiple graded stakes winner Finley'sluckycharm will be returning to Saratoga Race Course looking to address some unfinished business in the Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap at six furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up on Wednesday.

The 5-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy will look to atone from a bad beat in last year's edition when she fought gamely before Paulassilverlining got the edge in the final jumps to win by a neck. Undeterred, Finley'sluckycharm rebounded to win the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America in October at Keeneland before running ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint one month later at Del Mar.

In the current campaign, the Bret Calhoun trainee has again been a consistent contender, running second in the Mardi Gras on February 13 at Fair Grounds before notching her first Grade 1 win in the Madison on April 7 at Keeneland. Calhoun said a break coming out of her fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff on May 5 at Churchill Downs could hopefully put her on the track to start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ketel One Ballerina on Travers Day, August 25.

"She handled the track well last year; that Paulassilverlining sure knows where the wire is," Calhoun said. "But we're back trying to hopefully run well enough in the Honorable Miss to hopefully try in the Ballerina."

Finley'sluckycharm has 10 wins and three runner-up efforts in 16 career starts, and Calhoun said she's handled a challenging workload. 

"She ran extremely hard at Keeneland winning a Grade 1, and I think that took a toll on her," Calhoun said. "Four weeks later in the Distaff, we caught the inside on a sloppy track. Nothing went our way that day, but at the end of the day, I think she was a little bit empty coming off that race. So, we gave her plenty of time to recover and I think she's doing well coming into this race."

The 123-pound high weight, Finley'sluckycharm drew the outside post with Brian Hernandez, Jr. aboard.

"I think she can be in any position she gets put in," Calhoun said. "She can sit off the speed. She's very fast, so most times she'll be forwardly placed, but if something goes wrong at the break, there's no reason to panic. She can sit off the [pace] too. Whatever the tactics call for, she's a filly that's extremely fast [who can] stalk and pounce."

Faypien, cross-entered in Monday's $200,000 Caress at 5 ½ furlongs on the turf, ran second by a neck to La Sardane in her first start on grass in the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 7 at Belmont.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Faypien has also been successful on dirt, winning the Harry Henson Handicap on March 25 at Sunland Park and set the early speed in the Grade 2 Ruffian on May 6 on Belmont's Big Sandy before finishing out of the money behind Pacific Wind, Highway Star and Tequilita. 

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who was aboard for the Ruffian, will have the return call from post 5.

J. Kirk and Judy Robinson's Vertical Oak will be running at Saratoga for the first time since capturing the Grade 2 Prioress by 5 ¼ lengths on September 3. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen gave the Giant Oak filly a freshening after she capped her 2017 with a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America in October at Keeneland.

With seven months off, Vertical Oak returned to start her 4-year-old year with a pair of third-place performances in the Carousel on April 7 at Oaklawn Park and the Roxelana Overnight on June 23 at Churchill sandwiched around a winning trip in the Skipat on May 18 at Pimlico.

Ricardo Santana, Jr., who has had her last four mounts, will be in the irons again from post 1.

Chalon has finished in the money in each of her last six starts, including a four-length win in the Regret on June 16 at Monmouth Park. She finished second to fellow Honorable Miss entrant Kirby's Penny in her last graded stakes appearance, getting outkicked in the stretch in the Grade 3 Vagrancy Handicap on May 12 at Belmont.

Trained by Arnaud Delacour, Chalon is 5-3-1 in 11 career starts and 3-1-1 in five starts at the Honorable Miss distance. Paco Lopez will ride from post 2.

Kirby's Penny has won four of her last five starts for trainer Wesley Ward, earning a 92 Beyer in her winning stakes debut in the Vagrancy. The 5-year-old Macho Uno mare took the step up in class after defeating optional claiming company by 4 ¼ lengths on April 6 at Keeneland in her first start since October.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez drew the assignment and will exit post 3.

Thirteen Songs, who has three wins in 19 career starts, will make her first stakes appearance. Trained by Dallas Stewart, the Congrats filly will break post 4 in tandem with Luis Saez.