New York-Breds Take Center Stage Aug. 27 at the Spa

State-breds will take center stage Aug. 27 at Saratoga Race Course, with an 11-race card offering a half-dozen stakes for horses bred in the Empire State comprising New York Showcase Day. The six stakes are worth a combined $1.15 million.

"Saratoga New York Showcase Day is the flagship event on the calendar for our state's breeders and owners," said Najja Thompson, executive director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders. "We're proud to partner with NYRA to feature an all New York-bred card at the premier racing meet in the country with competitive fields, lucrative purses, and six state-bred stakes totaling $1.15 million. This day is a culmination of the hard work our breeders and everyone involved in the New York-bred program do daily to make our program great. It also highlights the advantages of breeding and owning state-breds in New York."

Friday's card is headlined by the $250,000 Albany Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile main track contest for sophomores in race 9. The lucrative card will include the $200,000 Fleet Indian Stakes for sophomore fillies going 1 1/8 miles in race 7; the $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes Presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital for 2-year-olds sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track in race 4; the $200,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs in race 2; the $150,000 West Point Stakes Presented by Trustco Bank for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf in race 8; and the $150,000 Yaddo Handicap, a handicap for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf course in race 10.

Trainer Christophe Clement will be represented by five horses across four stakes on the card, including Senbei  (Funny Cide), Pay Grade  (Fleet Indian), and Classic Lady  (Yaddo), along with Therapist  and City Man  in the West Point.

"It's a big deal," Clement said of the all state-bred card. "I've got a quite a few New York-breds and with the clients we have and the money we have to spend, we concentrate on the New York-breds because we have a better chance to get a stakes horse in the division."

In the featured Albany, Americanrevolution  will look to continue his upward trajectory following a 7 1/4-length victory in the New York Derby at Finger Lakes.

The son of Constitution   handled his two-turn debut with flying colors, arriving at the New York Derby off a narrow triumph against next-out winner Water's Edge  in a June 20 maiden event going six furlongs at Belmont Park.

Trainer Kelly Breen will saddle two contenders for Ron Lombardi's Mr. Amore Stable in It's a Gamble  and It's Gravy .

It's a Gamble, a son of English Channel  , earned an open company stakes victory when capturing an off-the-turf edition of the Jersey Derby May 28 at Monmouth Park. The three-time winner broke his maiden over the Mellon turf last summer at Saratoga and defeated winners over the Aqueduct Racetrack outer turf in the final start of his 2-year-old season.

It's Gravy, by Freud  , is in search of his first victory since breaking his maiden Jan. 16 over a muddy and sealed main track at Aqueduct. The bay gelding arrives off of a third-place finish in the NYSSS Cab Calloway Stakes July 28 at Saratoga.

Stakes action will kick off in race 2 with CJ Thoroughbreds' stakes winner Miss Alacrity  looking to stay undefeated when headlining the Seeking the Ante.

Miss Alacrity, bred by Milfer Farm, dominated in her debut with a 10-length score in May over the Belmont Park main track. Moved to turf last out, the Munnings   filly drew away to a 2 3/4-length score in the Aug. 1 Colleen Stakes at Monmouth. Ward will switch her back to the main track in Friday's race.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will send out Stonestreet Stables' Velvet Sister , a 9 3/4-length debut winner in June at Belmont, for her second stakes appearance after running fourth in the July 15 Schuylerville Stakes (G3). Velvet Sister was a $500,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Entries: Seeking the Ante S.

Saratoga Race Course, Friday, August 27, 2021, Race 2

• STK
• 6 1/2f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 1:41 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Miss Alacrity (NY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Wesley A. Ward	7/5
2	2Laoban's Legacy (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Jeremiah C. Englehart	5/2
3	3November Rein (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Kelly J. Breen	2/1
4	4Succulent (NY)	Dylan Davis	118	Philip A. Gleaves	30/1
5	5Hideout (NY)	Eric Cancel	122	Wayne Potts	30/1
6	6Velvet Sister (NY)	Joel Rosario	122	Steven M. Asmussen	9/2

In the Funny Cide, Senbei, a first-out winner by 4 3/4 lengths in front-running fashion July 18 for Clement, will take the step up in class. The Candy Ride   colt is owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Darlene Bilinski and was bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski.

"He's doing well," Clement said. "He's still very tender and very green."

Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso's Run Curtis Run  will put his 2-for-2 streak on the line for trainer Mike Maker. The son of Summer Front   followed his debut win July 2 at Belmont with a 3 3/4-length victory in the Rick Violette Stakes for state-breds July 21 in his Saratoga bow.

Entries: Funny Cide S. Presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital

Saratoga Race Course, Friday, August 27, 2021, Race 4

• STK
• 6 1/2f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 2 yo
• 2:47 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Senbei (NY)	Manuel Franco	122	Christophe Clement	6/1
2	2Happy Happy B (NY)	David Cohen	118	Robertino Diodoro	6/1
3	3Shipsational (NY)	Luis Saez	122	Edward R. Barker	8/1
4	4Who Hoo Thats Me (NY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Jorge R. Abreu	10/1
5	5Montebello (NY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Bob Baffert	3/1
6	6Bourbon's Hope (NY)	Joel Rosario	122	Charlton Baker	6/1
7	7Run Curtis Run (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Michael J. Maker	7/2
8	8Daufuskie Island (NY)	Dylan Davis	122	Jeremiah C. Englehart	9/2

The Fleet Indian will see A Bit o'Irish Sass  attempt a third consecutive triumph for trainer Richard Schosberg. The gray daughter of Laoban   broke her maiden over next-out winners Raffinity and Epona's Dream over a sloppy and sealed main track July 2 at Belmont Park en route to a facile 4 1/2-length score in the New York Oaks July 26 at Finger Lakes.

Gary Barber's Make Mischief  brings open company class to the Fleet Indian field, having secured graded stakes black type in this year's Eight Belles Stakes Presented by Smithfield (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont. Trained by Mark Casse, the daughter of leading sire Into Mischief   captured the Maddie May Stakes Feb. 20 at Aqueduct in her lone stakes coup.

Clement will saddle two-time winner Pay Grade  for owner Robert Evans. The daughter of Tonalist  , also trained by Clement and owned by Evans, defeated winners last out July 10 at Belmont Park going a one turn mile. Pay Grade broke her maiden at third asking March 26 going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct.

"Pay Grade is coming into this race very well," Clement said.

Jockey Eric Cancel, aboard for both victories, will retain the mount from post 2.

Entries: Fleet Indian S.

Saratoga Race Course, Friday, August 27, 2021, Race 7

• STK
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:29 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Betsy Blue (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Linda Rice	4/1
2	2Pay Grade (NY)	Eric Cancel	118	Christophe Clement	6/1
3	3Byhubbyhellomoney (NY)	Joel Rosario	118	Bob G. Dunham	15/1
4	4Out First (NY)	Jose Lezcano	118	James T. Ryerson	15/1
5	5A Bit o'Irish Sass (NY)	Luis Saez	123	Richard E. Schosberg	6/1
6	6U Guys Are No Fun (NY)	Andre Shivnarine Worrie	118	Jeremiah C. Englehart	12/1
7	7Epona's Dream (NY)	Dylan Davis	118	Mark A. Hennig	20/1
8	8Coffee Bar (NY)	Flavien Prat	118	Todd A. Pletcher	5/1
9	9Make Mischief (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Mark E. Casse	8/5

Bond Racing Stable's graded stakes winner Rinaldi , a last-out winner of the July 16 Forbidden Apple Stakes (G3T) at the Spa, will look to defend his title in the 42nd running of the West Point Stakes Presented by Trustco Bank.

Clement will saddle a strong pair of graded stakes-placed veteran turfers in Oak Bluff Stables stakes-winning 6-year-old homebred Therapist and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles, and Patty Searles' 4-year-old stakes winner City Man.

"We know them very well at this point; they've been around forever," Clement said of the veteran duo. "It won't be an easy race but they are both doing very well."

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sends out a strong pair for Repole Stable in grade 1-placed Mo Ready  and three-time winner Microsecond .

A loaded field of 10 line up for the Yaddo headlined by Lawrence Goichman homebred Myhartblongstodady , who returns to defend her title after scoring gate-to-wire last summer. The 6-year-old Scat Daddy bay, trained by Jorge Abreu, boasts a record of 13-5-2-3 with purse earnings of $344,216.

Strong opposition will be provided by Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso's Clement-trained Classic Lady , who finished third in last year's Yaddo and didn't resurface until a fourth-place finish last out July 31 in an open allowance optional claiming event on the Monmouth Park turf.

Entries: Yaddo H.

Saratoga Race Course, Friday, August 27, 2021, Race 10

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Turf
• $150,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 6:13 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Dancingwthdaffodls (NY)	Dylan Davis	118	Eduardo E. Jones	30/1
2	2Classic Lady (NY)	Joel Rosario	121	Christophe Clement	7/2
3	3Myhartblongstodady (NY)	Jose Lezcano	123	Jorge R. Abreu	8/5
4	4Giacosa (NY)	Luis Saez	119	H. James Bond	8/1
5	5Kreesie (NY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Thomas Morley	15/1
6	6Chocolate Cookie (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	117	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
7	7Mike's Girl (NY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	117	Charles L. Frock	30/1
8	8Pecatonica (NY)	Javier Castellano	120	Thomas M. Bush	12/1
9	9Dancing Kiki (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Michael J. Maker	6/1
10	10Kilkea (NY)	Flavien Prat	118	Mark A. Hennig	15/1