Exiting her winter in Florida a grade 3 winner, Emcee Stable's Lion Lake spent her early spring facing Kentucky's biggest challenges for 3-year-old turf fillies. Having earned plenty of respect with strong showings, she now shifts to Saratoga Race Course as the 8-5 morning line favorite in the $300,000 Wonder Again Stakes (G2T) June 5.
Although favored in her last three maiden starts, the daughter of Dark Angel has not been trusted by the bettors in her three graded stakes attempts, never breaking below odds of 5-1. Yet, trainer Brendan Walsh has had her ready to fire each time. Winning February's Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park, she now exits a pair of third-place finishes in both the April 4 Appalachian Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland and May 1 Edgewood Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs. Both times, she lost by only a neck.
Hall of Famer John Velazquez was aboard for both of those starts and retains the mount from the outside post in the eight-horse field.
Video: Edgewood S. presented by Accenture (G2T)
None of the fillies who finished ahead of her in those Kentucky starts return for this 1 1/16-mile contest on the inner turf, but Lion Lake is joined from the Edgewood by Repole Stable's Time to Dream. The Not This Time filly raced off the pace in the Edgewood, and although seventh made her way up to be beaten by just 2 1/2 lengths.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will now saddle Time to Dream in the familiar Saratoga setting where she began her career 2-for-2 with a stakes win last summer. With regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle, she breaks from post 5 as the 9-2 third choice.
Godolphin homebred Quiet Street, a juvenile stakes winner at Kentucky Downs, is the only other contender with Saratoga experience, breaking her maiden traveling 5 1/2 furlongs over the turf in August. Her lone start over the 1 1/16-mile distance resulted in a third in last October's Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Of course a turf race in New York can't be held without glancing inside Chad Brown's barn. The six-time Wonder Again winner, who has won the last three editions held on turf, enters two fillies off victories. Fitz Right was granted the 4-1 second choice honors in this field after coming from off the pace to win the April 26 Memories Of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct for owners Michael Dubb, William Lawrence, The Elkstone Group, and Michael Kisber.
The Charlatan filly is joined by her Kingman stablemate Tax Holiday, who enters off a neck maiden victory for Klaravich Stables.
Madaket Stables' Coach Mazzula is likely to be among the horses first out of the gate off a successful stakes debut in Laurel Park's Hilltop Stakes May 31.
Last year's Wonder Again was moved to the dirt course due to rain, launching Nitrogen on a path that would lead to an Alabama Stakes (G1) win and sophomore filly championship honors. Should the same happen this year, Red White and Blue Racing's Pashmina sits as an even-money main track only entrant exiting an 11th-place finish in the May 1 Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Saratoga Race Course, Friday, June 5, 2026, Race 9Entries: Wonder Again S. Presented by Shift4 (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Quiet Street (KY) Junior Alvarado 122 William I. Mott 8/1 2 2Fitz Right (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Chad C. Brown 4/1 3 3Coach Mazzula (KY) Manuel Franco 122 Brittany T. Russell 6/1 4 4Tax Holiday (GB) Dylan Davis 120 Chad C. Brown 12/1 5 5Time to Dream (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Todd A. Pletcher 9/2 6 6Soloist (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 120 Kenneth G. McPeek 12/1 7 7Call On Me (KY) Luis Saez 120 George R. Arnold II 8/1 8 8Lion Lake (IRE) John R. Velazquez 124 Brendan P. Walsh 8/5 9 9Pashmina (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Rob Atras 1/1
