The winner of the listed Schuylerville Stakes opening day at Saratoga Race Course, The Queens M G returns in the Aug. 4 $200,000 Adirondack Stakes (G3) for 2-year-old fillies, installed as the second choice on the morning line at 7-2.
The daughter of freshman sire Thousand Words was purchased for $3,500 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale by Rigoberto Acevedo and made her first start for owner and trainer Israel Acevedo. After a debut win April 7 at Keeneland, the filly was sold privately to C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable and transferred to the barn of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. As she did in the Schuylerville, the dark bay/brown filly will break from the far outside post under jockey Dylan Davis.
"I don't think you'd want to put her in a spot where she's taking dirt because she hasn't done that yet, but I think she's pretty uncomplicated—she can lead, but she doesn't need the lead," said Joseph.
Two other first-crop sires—Volatile and Vekoma —will also be represented in the Adirondack with Aguas de Cristal and Anakarina, respectively.
Aguas de Cristal is owned and trained by Jorge Delgado and comes to the race after a 4 1/2-length maiden score at Monmouth Park in June. Bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds, she brought $75,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Breaking from post 6, she'll be ridden by Javier Castellano and is 12-1 on the morning line.
A homebred owned by Dream Team One Racing Stable, Anakarina gets Tyler Gaffalione aboard and drew the 7 position in the starting gate. Trained by Dallas Stewart, the chestnut filly broke her maiden in her second start over a fast Churchill Downs track, winning by three lengths. Like Aguas de Cristal, she's 12-1 on the morning line.
Trainer Jena Antonucci is hoping that her Whatintheliteral (Lord Nelson), winner of the listed Astoria Stakes during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, gets off to a better start than she did in the Schuylerville, when she stumbled out of the gate, losing rider Castellano. She gets John Velazquez and will break from post 1, which could prove a challenge for the filly whose lone win came on the lead.
At 8-1 on the morning line, Whatintheliteral is owned by horseOlogy Racing and Craig Steinhart and was bred in Florida by Bella Inizio Farm.
The morning-line favorite, White Sands, owned by Mrs. John Magnier and Linda Shanahan and bred by Newstead, is expected to be scratched to run elsewhere. The bay Into Mischief filly won last out by 13 3/4 lengths in the Prairie Gold Juvenile Stakes at Prairie Meadows. Undefeated in two starts, the Wesley Ward trainee is a half sister to multiple grade 1 winner and 2021 champion male sprinter Jackie's Warrior .
The pricey Italian Soiree (Uncle Mo) sold for $600,000 at the Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is owned by Hit The Bid Racing Stable, Morplay Racing, and Randall Hartley. The 9-2 morning-line third choice is trained by John Terranova and will be ridden by Flavien Prat, breaking from post 2.
Completing the Adirondack field are Atomic City, Dare to Breeze, and Social Fortress. The Adirondack is the ninth race on Sunday's card, with a post time of 5:45 p.m. ET.
Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, August 4, 2024, Race 9Entries: Adirondack S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Whatintheliteral (FL) John R. Velazquez 122 Jena M. Antonucci 8/1 2 2Italian Soiree (KY) Flavien Prat 120 John P. Terranova, II 9/2 3 3Atomic City (KY) Luis Saez 120 Eddie Kenneally 8/1 4 4Dare to Breeze (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Mark E. Casse 8/1 5 5Social Fortress (FL) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 120 Jamie Ness 6/1 6 6Aguas de Cristal (KY) Javier Castellano 120 Jorge Delgado 12/1 7 7Anakarina (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 120 Dallas Stewart 12/1 8 8White Sands (KY) Lanfranco Dettori 122 Wesley A. Ward 3/1 9 9The Queens M G (KY) Dylan Davis 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 7/2
