Last year, right before the Saratoga meet began, I made the somewhat ambitious decision to post an analysis -- and recap -- of every single juvenile race held during the course of the meet. Unfortunately, I didn't realize exactly what I was getting into, and the sheer number of juvenile races held every day -- coupled with the six-days-a-week racing schedule -- quickly overwhelmed me. As a result, I fell behind, and canceled the series after about a week.
This year, I have come up with a better plan. Rather than writing up an analysis and recap of every single race, I shall instead condense the posts into a simple series of once-per-day recaps -- less than 1,000 words each -- giving the important details of how each race was run without getting overly in-depth.
So without further ado, allow us to delve into the results of the juveniles races held early this afternoon at Saratoga, including the $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III). Enjoy!
Race 3: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs for 2yo fillies
The favorite was Kimomo, a Todd Pletcher-trainee making her debut, but she eventually proved second-best behind Wesley Ward-trainee Lignite, who finally broke her maiden after finishing second in three consecutive maiden special weights. Under a skilled ride from Joel Rosario, Lignite got off to a quick start, set fractions of :22.23 and :45.59, and held off a determined stretch bid from Kimono to stop the clock in 1:05.02. There was a substantial gap back to the third-place finisher, Sustained, who rallied from last after a poor start to secure the show.
Race 5: Maiden Special Weight
5-1/2 furlongs for 2yo fillies
Can anyone say future stakes winner? Todd Pletcher may not have secured victory earlier on the card with Kimomo, but his first-time starter Kauai Katie gave the impression of being a future stakes winner when she drew off to a twelve-length victory under Rosie Napravnik, stopping the clock in the quick time of 1:03.66 -- little more than a second off of the track record, and considerably faster than Lignite ran earlier on the card. The details of Kauai Katie's victory were equally impressive. Although she bobbled just a bit at the break, she recovered nicely to grab the early lead while setting fractions of :22.29 and :45.67. She then threw in an excellent fifth furlong in :11.71 seconds to open up a commanding lead, and continued to draw away powerfully throughout the stretch. Kansas rallied from fifth to finish second for trainer Wesley Ward, but was never a threat to the winner. Lenderoflastresort tired to finish third after attempting to challenge the eventual winner for command of the early lead.
Race 9: Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III)
6 furlongs for 2yo fillies
(My detailed recap of the Schuylerville can be viewed here: http://triplecrowncountdown.blogspot.com/2012/07/so-many-ways-wins-schuylerville-stakes.html)
-Keelerman
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