Trainer Todd Pletcher has won the GIII Schuylerville S., Saratoga's traditional opening day feature, six times and he looks to add to that total Friday with Stainless (Flatter), an impressive first-out winner at Gulfstream Park May. 29. The StarLadies Racing colorbearer shipped north following that effort and has been drilling steadily at the Spa in recent weeks. Drawn to the far outside in a field of nine, the gray figures to secure a tracking spot behind a number of speedy rivals to her inside.
J. Kirk and Judy Robinson's 3-1 morning line favorite Buy Sell Hold (Violence) is likely to be forwardly placed on the heels of a pace-pressing victory in the May 4 Kentucky Juvenile S. at Churchill. The gray–who became the first winner and stakes winner for her freshman sire–is one of two entries in the Schuylerville for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who also sends out recent Churchill maiden winner Laudation (Congrats). Asmussen has won the Schuylerville three times previously–most recently in 2013 with Brazen Persuasion (Indian Charlie).
Owner John Oxley and trainer Mark Casse teamed to take down the Spa's biggest juvenile filly prize last year when Pretty City Dancer (Tapit) dead-heated for a win in the GI Spinaway S., and the duo appears to have another nice daughter of Tapit in Snowfire, a four-length winner in her June 29 debut beneath the Twin Spires. The $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase is the only Schuylerville entrant with experience at the race's six-furlong distance.
“We're excited about her,” Casse said. “I thought her first race was really good. We were able to breeze her here at Saratoga the other day and she went extremely well. We're expecting a big effort out of her.”
Best Performance (Broken Vow) enters the Schuylerville off a runner-up finish in the June 8 Astoria S. at Belmont–a race in which she made a sweeping, wide move to reach contention before evening out late. The chestnut has a pedigree that suggests she will relish added distance and can benefit from a contested early pace.
Trainer Barbara Minshall holds a wildcard in Dream It Is (Shackleford), a two-time winner in as many starts over Woodbine's Tapeta surface. The bay recently captured the five-furlong My Dear S. in dominant fashion June 24 and has been working over the dirt training track in Toronto in the interim.
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