Well-bred filly Mrs. Danvers has Frizette Stakes as an option

On Sunday at Saratoga, trainer McGaughey saddled maiden winner Mrs. Danvers to a visually impressive 1 1/4-length score under Joel Rosario, covering 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.85 on the main track labeled fast.

The well-related Mrs. Danvers, by Tapit out of the Pulpit mare Gracie Square, is a homebred for Allen Stable. Her second dam, Starry Dreamer, produced multiple graded-stakes winners War Front, Teammate and Ecclesiastic.

Third after lunging at the start in her July 19 debut at Saratoga, Mrs. Danvers showed a strong stretch kick on Sunday to reel in the well-regarded Finite, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

"We've always liked what we saw in her," said McGaughey. "Her first race was a good race. She missed the break, and still it looked like she was going to win, but Joel said when he pulled her out she kind of got lost a little bit.

"Yesterday, she broke well and laid back good, and when she made her run, I think she beat a pretty nice filly. She finished really well and that's what we thought she would do. I was very pleased with what I saw.

"We stretched her out a little bit yesterday from five and a half to six and a half," added McGaughey. "I think the farther we go the better she'll go, as long as she learns how to settle,"

McGaughey said the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette, a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" challenge series race offering a berth in the Juvenile Fillies, is a potential target for Mrs. Danvers. The Frizette, a one-turn mile on Big Sandy, is set for October 6 at Belmont Park.

"We'll see how she comes out of this race and take a look from there. The one race that's on the schedule is the Frizette," said McGaughey. "The one-turn would probably suit her pretty really but I'm not really big on throwing them to the wolves really quick, but that might be something I have to do."