The Spinaway (Grade 1)- $350.000 Purse
SAR- For Fillies Two Years Old
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
September 1, 2019
The final weekend of racing at Saratoga is always fascinating, especially with the races for two year olds that close out the meet, the Grade 1 Spinaway on Sunday, and then the Hopeful that runs on Monday. Here we will look at the Spinaway, which is the race for fillies. I’m also excited that I will be able to watch the real thing on Sunday, as it will be my first trip to the Spa since I moved out of that area two years ago. The HRP version of the race has seen some great horses win this race, including an impressive stretch between 2009 and 2011 where it was won by Bay Bound, Mai Mia Bambina, and Vouvray. Last year, it would be Love Struck Baby getting the win, but it would be her last career win. In fact, she’s already given berth to a two year old of her own. In that race, she won in a tight photo over Z Command, who won the Alabama here two weeks ago, as part of a great year that will have her be a strong BC threat. Let us meet this field as all hope to move on and be a BC Juvenile Fillies winner!
#1- Khloe (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- D J C Racing Stables was the winning trainer with Love Struck Baby last season, and while they had a good ride for a while, he is likely disappointed with how it ended. Khloe doesn’t come into Spinaway the same way as Love Struck Baby, who had won the Schuylerville here, too. In fact, she hasn’t run since May, when she beat NY-breds at FL to break her maiden. Works have been good for a while and have her as a worthy threat, just a little surprised she’s been off for so long.
#2- The Belle Tolls (Allinthegate, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Right on cue, here is the horse that won the Schuylerville here at the beginning of the meet, and it made her a perfect three for three in her career. The trainer is hoping to temporarily duplicate Love Struck Baby and win them both, but then hope that there will be more wins after it. She likes to be on the front, and this longer distance will be a test for her and I am admittedly not in awe of her last mile work, but she knows how to win and there could be many reasons for it.
#3- Peacefully (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by D Van Dyke)- Picked up by the trainer in a $45.000 maiden claimer in late June, and eventually broke her maiden last month by routing a field of LA-breds at EVD. She is working well, but despite that margin of victory, she will need to be better here, based on her speed figure. We’ll see if she was a great claim or not in this race.
#4- Miss Tallmadge (Fractious, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Ran third here in the Grade 2 Adirondack last month, and nine days later the prior trainer decided they wanted to cash out on her, selling her to Fractious for $350.000. She’s 2-for-4 in her career, including a win in the $100.000 My Dear, and I like how she seems to run consistently from start to finish. This will make her a big player here.
#5- Interpoint (Night Rider Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Like Miss Tallmadge, Interpoint has been in the My Dear and then the Adirondack, and in each race, Interpoint finished one spot behind her rival today. She was claimed on debut in a maiden claimer from Estero Farms $22.500, a much cheaper acquisition cost then was Miss Tallmadge. I feel as though she will like it as the distances get longer. We’ll see if she can flip the script.
#6- How Trait (Gdp Inc, ridden by E J Wilson)- Comes into the race after breaking his maiden in his last start, which was the third of her career. She’s been productive, never finishing worse then second, and seemed to like coming from off the past. There is not a lot in the way of public works to go by, with just one since June, but I am hoping there has been improvement privately in mile works since her June effort.
#7- Uzume (Aer Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- Broke her maiden two starts ago at CD, then was impressive in her last start, out at DMR in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes, running third. Though that was not a win, there were three horses in that race that seemed to be the class of the field, and she was one of them. A similar effort makes her a threat, but she will meet up here with a couple who ran in the SAR equivalent, the Adirondack, over that same weekend.
#8- Shot Of Reality (Mb Stables, ridden M Franco)- After not finishing well in the Grade 3 Schuylerville, Mb Stables gave her a little bit of time off, and did not run her at the beginning of August. Worked nicely in her last two at MTH in particular, and that will have her ready to go here. Another shot of reality here is that if this the horse Mb Stables has chosen for this race, and is his only entry, you know he is confident.
Prediction: 4-2-7-5
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
