Laurie Ross
Iron Maidens Thoroughbreds

The Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes for two-year-old fillies at seven furlongs

Saratoga is a racetrack steeped in tradition.  Cliché, but true. It’s an old track, dating from the 1800’s, and many of the track’s race names like the Spinaway Stakes (G1), have been run since its opening. Many fillies have tucked the Spinaway under their girth on to becoming Champions. Over the last twenty years, Meadow Star, Flanders, Golden Attraction, Countess Dianna, and Ashado were victorious in this race, while Sky Beauty, Surfside and Folklore finished second or third.

Todd Pletcher’s stable of precocious, talented babies is evident in the Spinaway Stakes as he trains half of the field.  However, before you plunk down your cash on a Pletcher Superfecta, let’s see who has the pedigree, talent and training to become a spoiler.

The first of Pletcher’s babies is Stopspendingmaria (Montbrook –Cutoffs, by Notebook) regressed in the Schuylerville after setting wicked fractions on the front end.  She has speed top and bottom in her pedigree and will likely be the speed again today. Johnny V. stays aboard Pletcher’s main filly.        

Sky Hosoya (Bluegrass Cat – T K O Lady, by Two Punch), the second Pletcher trainee, showed a strong progression from her first to second race and has worked back well. She’s a half sister to stakes winners The Lady’s Groom & Marina De Chavon who won from 7 to 9 furlongs. She’ll be jumping from the claiming ranks but her winning time of 1:03 3/5 for 5½ furlongs fits with these. She’s also in the very capable hands of Javier Castellano who records a strong 20 percent win rate with two-year-olds.

Pletcher’s third entrant, Valiant Passion (Lion Heart – Bold American, by Quiet American) was green but a game 9 length winner in her debut. Her sole work back fits with those of her stablemates. Not sure what she beat in that race because the second and third place finishers haven’t won. Valiant Passion has the pedigree to enjoy going two turns and the stretch out won’t be a problem.  Julien Leparoux stays with Valiant Passion, but his percentages (12 percent two year olds, 10 percent Stakes races, 9 percent main track) are unusually low for the meet.

Last but not least, Pletcher’s R Heat Lightning (Trippi – Yellow Heat, by Gold Fever) showed a good speed figure progression in her two starts. She finished closed over a speed favoring track to place second, a length off the winner in the Colleen Stakes.  R Heat Lightning’s sire and damsire are sons of Forty Niner and she is a full sister to stakes placed Hot Trip. Garrett Gomez replaces Fernando Jara as the later rides the Monmouth circuit. Gomez is 17 percent with two year olds, but his stakes win percentage has dropped to 14 percent.

Steve Asmussen brings Abide (Tiznow – Number One Cat, by Storm Cat) a $430,000 September 2009 yearling to the race. Abide sat off the pace and won going away in her 6 furlong debut. Her subsequent works are average, but she has the class to more forward. Abide’s dam is a half sister to stakes placed Leo Getz and her second dam Vivid Angel won the Oak Leaf Stakes (G1).  Abide traces tail female (directly through her female family) to the great mare La Troienne.  Asmussen’s go to guy Bridgmohan stays aboard.

Bob Baffert’s contribution to the Spinaway is Alienation (Rock Hard Ten – Alienated, by Gone West).  Although her speed figures showed slight progression, she was clearly no match for Position Limit in the Adirondack, but still finished five lengths ahead of Coax Liberty.  Alienation worked back an average six furlongs, but this filly might be at her best over turf.  Her sire is starting to make a name for himself as a producer of turf and synthetic track runners. Since he is a grandson of the champion European Roberto, this is no surprise. Alienation’s dam won three of nine starts sprinting over dirt, including a minor stakes race and although she never won over turf, was in the money in all three starts over the lawn.  She is a half sister to two stakes winners and some very good runners have descended from this distaff family including 2006 Champion European Two Year Old Teofilo.  Baffert switches to Channing Hill (15 percent with sprints) as his main man Martin Garcia stayed in California.

First Samurai’s daughter Le Mi Geaux (out of Message Red by Cryptoclearance) has won her last two starts and outclassed the field in the Schuylerville by 1½ lengths. Her works back have been noticeably slow, which is worrisome, especially since she worked a bullet before the Schuylerville. The chestnut filly’s dam was a stakes winner. Frederic Lenclud keeps the mount.

Coax Liberty (Successful Appeal – Chelsie’s House, by Housebuster) was outrun in the Adirondack. Her breezes back fit with her earlier works.  Coax Liberty’s dam was stakes placed at two and a multiple stakes winner from ages three to five. Her second dam placed in the Schuylerville Stakes.  James Lawrence gets 11 percent winners with his two-year-olds and retains Caraballo.

Selections:

How the track is playing:  In the beginning of the meet, speed on the rail won the most races; however, we’ve seen a shift in the closing stages.  During the last week, the majority of the main track sprint winner have been either pace pressers or come from mid park or farther back.  Weather is mostly cloudy with 30 percent chance of scattered showers.

Stopspendingmaria appears to be the speed of the race with her stablemate Sky Hosoya not far behind. Alienation likes to be up near the pace too. If she can rate, she can fit with these. The same holds true for Sky Hosoya.  Abide has the pedigree of a graded stakes winner and her works indicate she should move forward.  Valiant Passion should enjoy the extra real estate and also can come running from the back of the pack. R Heat Lightning showed talent closing over a speed favoring track and should get the same set up today. Although Le Mi Geaux won convincingly last time out, her late pace figures were slow and her works are iffy. She’ll likely be over bet and we’ll take a pass. Coax Liberty is a nice filly but appears at this point to be a cut below.

Abide
Valiant Passion
Sky Hosoya
Alienation