One year after securing the first stakes win of her career with a front-end score in the Shuvee Stakes (G3), Golden Award will look to defend that win when she faces an expected eight other fillies and mares in the 1 1/8-mile test Aug. 30 at Saratoga Race Course.
Last year, Summer Wind Equine's Golden Award set a slow early pace in the Shuvee before gradually pulling away in the stretch for a 2 1/4-length score under Tyler Gaffalione. Junior Alvarado is scheduled to ride Sunday after guiding the 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro to a runner-up finish in the Aug. 5 Summer Colony Stakes at Saratoga.
Trained by Bill Mott, Golden Award has five wins and as many seconds in 14 starts with earnings of $432,800. Golden Award will aim to become the Shuvee's first repeat winner.
The winner of the Summer Colony, Nonna Madeline, and the third-place finisher from that 1 1/8-mile test, Bellera, also are entered in the Shuvee. Both are trained by Todd Pletcher.
Video: Summer Colony S. (BT)
Nonna Madeline has breezed twice at the Spa since the Summer Colony, including a half-mile work in 49.33 on the main track Aug. 23.
"I thought she ran terrific last time, and she's coming into this one training well," Pletcher said.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the return call from post 6.
Bellera also finished third in the July 11 Delaware Handicap (G2) at Delaware Park.
"Bellera should improve for having that race in the Summer Colony," Pletcher said. "I thought she ran a little bit flat last time, but she's had a really good schedule since then and I expect an improved race from her."
Pletcher also has entered Farfellow Farm's Another Broad, who finished third in the June 27 Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in her most recent race.
"She's fresh and she's put in some good breezes," Pletcher said. "We tried to enter a couple of times as a main-track only, but to no avail. She seems to like a mile and an eighth, so it's a logical target. One good thing for all three of them is that they don't mind the wet surface if it's going to come up on Sunday."
The lukewarm morning-line favorite is St. George Stable's Letruska, who was fifth in the Aug. 8 Ballerina Stakes (G1) last out after winning the June 27 Added Elegance Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Chad Brown will send out Royal Flag, who enters off a third-place finish in her stakes debut, the July 18 Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park. Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, August 30, 2020, Race 9
Entries: Shuvee S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Lucky Stride (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 120 Michael J. Trombetta 15/1 2 2Bellera (FL) John R. Velazquez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 10/1 3 3Letruska (KY) Joel Rosario 120 Fausto Gutierrez 3/1 4 4Our Super Freak (KY) Jose Lezcano 118 Cherie DeVaux 6/1 5 5Golden Award (KY) Junior Alvarado 122 William I. Mott 9/2 6 6Nonna Madeline (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Todd A. Pletcher 4/1 7 7Lucky Move (NY) Manuel Franco 118 Juan Carlos Guerrero 12/1 8 8Another Broad (MD) Luis Saez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 15/1 9 9Royal Flag (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Chad C. Brown 7/2
