Three Florida-bred fillies who broke their maidens in impressive fashion will step up to stakes competition in the $100,000 Schuylerville Stakes (G3) when the long-awaited Saratoga Race Course meet begins Friday.
The first graded stakes race of the meet drew a field of seven 2-year-old fillies and covers six furlongs on the main track. The Schuylerville is immediately preceded by perhaps an even more intriguing race, the $75,000 James Marvin Stakes, a seven-furlong test that drew a field of 10 3-year-olds and up. The James Marvin features the return of Grade 1-winning Florida-bred Vineyard Haven, who was installed as the 3-5 favorite on the morning line.
In the Schuylerville, Florida-breds Show Me the Bling (3-1), Stopspendingmaria (7-2) and Let’s Get Fiscal (7-2) each will make her stakes debut after impressive maiden scores.
Show Me the Bling, a daughter of Too Much Bling bred by Belleview’s Janet Erwin, made her debut at the rich Monmouth Park meet June 5, winning a $70,000 maiden special weight race by three-quarters of a length. The filly, owned by Flying Zee Stables and trained by Patrick Biancone, has turned in two bullet workouts at Monmouth this month, including a four-furlong breeze in 47 2⁄5 seconds Sunday.
Show Me the Bling drew the No. 6 post and will have Joe Bravo aboard.
The third-place finisher from Show Me the Bling’s win, Stopspendingmaria, drew the rail for the Schuylerville and will have John Velazquez aboard. Stopspendingmaria wired a $50,000 maiden special weight race at Belmont Park by seven lengths July 1. The daughter of Ocala Stud Farm stallion Montbrook earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure for that 5 ½-furlong sprint, the highest mark for any horse in the Schuylerville’s field.
“We were very pleased with her maiden win,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “She came out of the race in good order, has been training well, and we’re excited about running her.”
Stopspendingmaria was bred by Ocala Stud Farm’s J. Michael O’Farrell and Edward D. West. Owned by Repole Stable, she was a $90,000 purchase at OBS in February.
Let’s Get Fiscal, a daughter of Bandini bred by Norman G. Houston III, drew the No. 3 post and will have Alan Garcia aboard. She won her career debut, a $50,000 maiden special weight race at Belmont Park last month, by 5 ½ lengths. The filly earned an 81 Beyer for that five-furlong test, the third-highest mark in the Schuylerville’s field.
Owned by Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence, Let’s Get Fiscal sold for $130,000 at OBS in February. She had a bullet workout at Saratoga on Sunday, handily covering five furlongs in 1:00 2⁄5 for trainer Rick Violette Jr.
“She breezed very well the other day, and she’s been very professional since the day we first put tack on her,” said Violette. “It’s time to get the show on the road.”
The field also includes Le Mi Geaux (6-1), Dos Lunas (12-1) and the coupled entry of Final Mesa and Spa Sunrise (2-1).
Trainer Wesley Ward has said he’s leaning toward scratching Final Mesa, who’s undefeated in three starts and most recently won the $154,000 My Dear Stakes at Woodbine last month. He’ll likely run Spa Sunrise, who won a $36,000 maiden special weight race by 1 ½ lengths at Belmont Park in her career debut July 8.
Dos Lunas won a $50,000 maiden special weight race on the Churchill Downs lawn in her first start last month. Le Mi Geaux broke her maiden in her second start, taking a $49,000 maiden special weight race by 7 ¼ lengths at Churchill Downs last month.
• In the James Marvin, Vineyard Haven, a son of Lido Palace bred at Lynne Scace’s Double S Farm in Ocala and initially raced by the local trainer, is the short-priced favorite in a talented field.
Vineyard Haven is a four-time Grade 1 winner, having captured the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga and the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park in 2008 and the King’s Bishop Stakes at Saratoga and the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park last year. The 4-year-old colt has been off since finishing a close-up third behind Kodiak Kowboy in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct in November.
Vineyard Haven, trained by Saeed bin Suroor for Godolphin Stable, has won four of his eight starts for $701,500. He drew the No. 4 post and will have usual rider Garcia aboard.
Florida also will be represented by Half Metal Jacket (10-1) and Atoned (30-1).
Half Metal Jacket, a son of Yes It’s True bred at Ocala’s Red Oak Farm, rallied for a 2 ½-length score in a $75,000 optional claimer at Belmont Park last month. The 5-year-old gelding, trained by Sydney Dutrow for owners Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables, will be looking for his first stakes win. He’s won eight of his 26 starts for $251,670.
Atoned, a son of Repent bred by Anthony and Mitzi Robinson, will look to snap a five-race losing streak since capturing the $65,000 Nasty and Bold Stakes at Belmont in May 2009. The 5-year-old ridgling has won four of his 24 starts for $516,034.
Rounding out the field are You and I Forever (20-1), the winner of the Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) in March; Cool Coal Man (6-1), the winner of the $91,000 Skip Away Stakes at Monmouth Park last month; Discreet Treasure (12-1); Friesan Fire (12-1), who won three graded stakes at Fair Grounds last year; Le Grand Cru (12-1), who captured the Westchester Stakes (G3) at Belmont in April; Flat Bold (12-1); and Silver Edition (30-1).
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– Photo of Florida-bred Vineyard Haven by Adam Coglianese
