The Adirondack (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SAR- For Fillies Two Years Old
Six And A Half Furlongs on the Dirt
August 13, 2016

Saratoga is the place to be for two year old fillies on Saturday, for the 12th running of The Adirondack, a Grade 2 event which will showcase some of the best of their division at this early stage of their careers.   The race has seen some great ones compete in the past, most notably being the late Mai Mia Bambina, who won just shy of $2,000.000 in her career.  She would be most known for her taking on the boys in both the KYD and BEL in 2011 and finishing third and second respectively, in those races.  2007 winner Winter Moon is the highest earning past winner, taking over $2,300.000 in a career that was highlighted by a 2008 KYO win.  Last year’s winner, Notarized Kate, who recently won the Grade 3 DEL Oaks, could actually be set to top both of them, as she is just over $1,900.000 right now.  Of course, not every winner Adirondack winner has had a career long success record.  2009 winner Wonderful Gift would never win, or hit the board, again.  Of course, she only raced one more time after this race.   Jockey J L Ortiz would have been looking for his third straight win in the race, but he is off at AP this Saturday.  Let us meet, then, the field of ten going to the gate for this race.

#1- Squish (M.b.o. Racing Stable, ridden by J Bravo)- Has raced twice at FL and broke her maiden in her second start, which was in mid-May.  That was a solid effort that saw her earn an 88 SRF, and she has been allowed to rest since that race.  In the meantime, she’s put together some strong works which certainly show that she is ready to tackle the improved competition here.  Her effort at a mile also shows that we should expect to see her on the KYO trail next year.

#2- Panthers (Running Farms, ridden by C P Decarlo)- Made her debut just a couple days after the start of the two year old racing season, and proceeded to break her maiden at GG in that race.  Since then she has been idle, likely undergoing extensive add testing.  She’ll emerge from that with a shadow roll and work times that show she is ready to run here.  Pedigree features Pink Panther and Grand Lodge.

#3- Threat (D J C Racing, ridden by P Lopez)– The Charlemagne filly will certainly live up to her name in this race.  She has one win in three starts, but earned a 92 SRF when she broke her maiden, a result that led to the trainer sending her to the Schuylerville earlier in the meet.  Threat ran a good looking fourth in that race, and somewhat surprisingly, she ends up being the only one to come out of that race and into this one.  That experience will suit her well.

#4- Taken Down (Joseph Racing, ridden by R A Baze)- After three races, no one has been able to take down Taken Down, as the filly is currently undefeated.    Originally part of Mb Stables, this filly was sold to Joseph Racing for $65.000 in private sales after her second win.  The new trainer picked up right where the previous one left off, and sent her to the $125.000 My Dear at WO, and she would win that as well.  That victory makes Taken Down the only stake winner in this field.

#5- Blackberry (Our Athletes, ridden by R Santana Jr)- She caught the attention of many people here on Sunday with an impressive six furlong work, a time that cut about half a second from her prior work at the distance just two weeks ago.  Since the end of June, it is pretty apparent to see that this filly is in a stage of improvement right now.   Her last start was an ELP allowance triumph, where she came from behind to get the win.  She’s only been getting better since that race, so if there is any improvement off that, the rest of the field may have a tough time with her.

#6- Killer Angels (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- The Calling The Gods filly won her debut race at PRX in the middle of April, and the trainer was hoping that would carry over into the $200.000 Astoria about six weeks later.  That race proved to be nothing but a disappointment, but the trainer didn’t give up on her.  She was sent to the $125.000 Landaluce Stakes at SA, and would finish third.  Killer Angels will be great when the distances increase, but could still get a win at this length as well.

#7- Prime Design (Mb Stables, ridden by J Talamo)- She comes out of the same allowance race that Blackberry won in the middle of July, so it is only natural to compare the two of them, and when you put them side by side, it is Blackberry that seems to be the better filly.  That won’t necessarily mean anything in this race, though.  Prime Design is working well, and also seems like she will like the extra half furlong in this race.  Plus, you never, ever, rule anything out from this trainer.

#8- Fake Chow (M.b.o. Racing Stable, ridden by J Rosario)- One of two in this field from M.b.o. Racing Stable, and I do favor his other entry a little more.  After a disappointing debut, Fake Chow broke his maiden at FL, but then didn’t follow that up as good as I would have liked to have seen, although it did lead to a second place finish at PIM. On a positive note, her work times are showing improvement, and she could be poised to run a big one here.

#9- Bronzed Bombshell (Pumpkin Racing, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- The bloodlines on this one feature two very well known horses in our game, Bronze Sabre and Millionaire Heiress.  Somewhat surprisingly, Bronze Sabre has only produced two stakes winners so far, and Millionaire Heiress is still looking for her first one.   They’ve been paired a few times now, and you have to think that at some point they will hit a home run.  That may be Bronzed Bombshell, who is looking good despite just one win in four starts.  Most recently, she ran second to Taken Down in the My Dear Stakes.  There’s much to like about her, and she’s one of those horses who due to her bloodlines, is easy to root for.

#10- Rollergirl (Jerry Garcia Racing, ridden by K Carmouche)- The Condottieri filly caught the attention of everyone when she won the 2016 DMR Trials.  Not every horse who wins that ends up becoming a superstar, but Rollergirl does seem to be on the right path.  Jerry Garcia has been patient with her, getting her out on the track early to break her maiden, but since then has only entered her in the $200.000 Astoria.   That day at BEL, she would finish 2nd, and there was nothing wrong with her effort, at all.  We know that she is capable of putting together some great works, but this is a great chance for her to firmly establish herself as a BC Juvenile Fillies contender, as we know the trainer expects her to be.  She’ll get it done.

Prediction: 10-5-4-3

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES