The 145th Saratoga meet kicks off Friday, July 18 with ten races carded including the Grade III $150,000 Schuylerville which has been run consecutively since 1918 as a race for two year-old fillies.
The 2014 Schuylerville draws a short field and a big favorite. Just five fillies are signed on to contest the six furlong event on the main track with the Todd Pletcher trained Fashion Alert the 3/5 morning line favorite. Fashion Alert will be making her second career start after breaking her maiden against stakes company in the June 14 Astoria at Belmont Park. She holds a significant speed figure advantage against her four rivals.
Tulira’s Star, trained by Rick Mettee, is the 5/2 second choice after defeating maiden special weight foes at Arlington Park on the Polytrack in her career debut. She will likely need to improve drastically off that effort while proving she can handle dirt. The latter task figures to be well within her scope as she is a daughter of the dirt-proven Congrats.
Take Charge Brandi is 6/1 on the morning line for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas after vanquishing a field of maiden special weight rivals in her first start June 22 at Churchill Downs. Evrybdymstgetstonz is 12/1 after a maiden special victory at Belmont, and Mast Cove, the most experienced runner in the field, is 20/1 after capturing a maiden claiming race at Delaware Park in her third career start June 4.
The Grade 2 $1.25 million Pennsylvania Derby features the two biggest names from the Triple Crown trail September 24 at Parx as a field of 12 gathers in one of the most intriguing betting races of the year.
The $1 million Cotillion Stakes September 24 at Parx features a true clash of the titans as the six-horse field is headlined by the undefeated, five-time grade 1 winner Songbird who figures to face the most stern challenge of her career.
In a completely wide open renewal of the Presque Isle Mile September 18 at Presque Isle Downs, 13 runners including the also-eligible will contest the eight furlong trip over synthetic footing.
Champion Songbird is set to make her much-anticipated return to the races in the $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on Saturday. The Grade 2 event will be run at a mile and a sixteenth and has attracted a field of seven.
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