Casse Takes Aim on Saratoga With Schuylerville Trio

Despite its history and ambience and pageantry, Saratoga Race Course can be a cruel and unforgiving place. Anyone who trains or owns or rides a Thoroughbred knows that all too well. When the gates swing open for the 154th season of racing July 14, horsemen and horsewomen will do everything they can to find their way to the Spa's winner's circle.

"I love Saratoga, but it's not always kind to me," Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said. "Sometimes, we don't win as many races as we would like, but we are also competing in a lot of the bigger races. That makes it more difficult."

Casse will have a chance to break into the win column in the first graded stakes race of the season Thursday. Actually, he'll have three chances in the $175,000 Schuylerville Stakes (G3), a six-furlong test for 2-year-old fillies.

He will saddle Tracy Farmer's Adora , D. J. Stable's Me and My Shadow , and Gary Barber's Janis Joplin  in the Schuylerville, the first of three graded stakes for juvenile fillies at the meet. The $200,000 Adirondack Stakes (G3) follows on Aug. 7 and the $300,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) comes on Sept. 4.

Adora started her career with a 4 3/4-length win May 22 at Woodbine going 4 1/2 furlongs in :52.41. Me and My Shadow broke her maiden six days later, also at Woodbine, with a 4-length victory at 5 furlongs in :57.18.

Casse was impressed by the two, but he has some questions. Trainers always do. The Woodbine wins for both fillies came on a synthetic surface.

"The question is, can they repeat those same performances on dirt?" Casse said. "The problem with 2-year-olds is that most of them break fast, are right on the lead and they keep going. As the competition gets tougher, that is not as easy to do. We are stretching out a little farther and it's the horses that can settle and finish and handle some pressure around them that will go on and do bigger and better things."

Adora, a daughter of Into Mischief  , and Me and My Shadow, by Violence  , have been preparing for the Schuylerville on the dirt at Belmont Park. So far, Casse says, they both seem to have taken to the new surface.

"In the end, maybe they are better Tapeta horses, maybe they are better turf horses," Casse said. "Both fillies have a lot of ability. They have already achieved more than 95% of horses will achieve and that is winning their first start. They did not just win, they demolished their competition. I am hoping."

Janis Joplin has more to prove; she was third in her first start, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight June 29 at Churchill Downs, and is chasing her first win in this spot.

Six other fillies will enter the Schuylerville starting gate. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has won this race six times, has Summer Promise , owned by BC Stables.

Summer Promise, a daughter of Uncle Mo  , began her career with a front-running 5-length win in her first start, on June 25 at Churchill Downs.

Trainer John Terranova saddles Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable, Steven Schoenfeld and Smart Choice Stable's Sweet Harmoney, who won her 4 1/2-furlong debut by 1 3/4 lengths June 4 at Monmouth Park.

Vedareo , owned by Swilcan Stables and trained by Butch Reid, ships up from Parx Racing after winning her first start, at 4 1/2 furlongs, by two lengths June 14.

Clarkland Farm's Just Cindy , a maiden winner last out June 17 for trainer Eddie Kenneally; Motown Mischief , a Tim Hamm trainee who broke her maiden at first asking May 31 at Presque Isle Downs; and June 22 Delaware Park maiden winner Musicmansandy , trained by Rudy Rodriguez, complete the lineup.

Entries: Schuylerville S. (G3)

Saratoga Race Course, Thursday, July 14, 2022, Race 9

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $175,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 5:39 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Just Cindy (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Eddie Kenneally	-
2	Sweet Harmony (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	John P. Terranova, II	-
3	Adora (ON)	Dylan Davis	120	Mark E. Casse	-
4	Vedareo (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	-
5	Janis Joplin (KY)	Flavien Prat	118	Mark E. Casse	-
6	Me and My Shadow (ON)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Mark E. Casse	-
7	Motown Mischief (KY)	Junior Alvarado	120	Timothy E. Hamm	-
8	Musicmansandy (KY)	Manuel Franco	120	Rudy R. Rodriguez	-
9	Summer Promise (KY)	Luis Saez	120	D. Wayne Lukas	-