Jess's Dream Entered for Monday at Spa
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Three weeks after his younger half sister beat him to the punch, 3-year-old Jess's Dream will debut in an $83,000 maiden special weight race Monday, Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course.
The Curlin colt, who is the first foal out of champion Rachel Alexandra, suffered delays in training because of mild injuries when starting his career for Stonestreet Stables and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, but has been working steadily at the Spa and is now ready to race for the first time.
On Aug. 2 the second foal out of Rachel Alexandra, 2-year-old Rachel's Valentina, galloped to a sparkling two-length debut for Stonestreet and trainer Todd Pletcher. The Bernardini filly went six furlongs in a maiden special weight event also worth $83,000.
NOVAK: Rachel's Valentina Sparkles in Debut
Jess's Dream will start with more of a route of ground to cover; his race is 1 1/8 miles and drew a field of eight. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez is slated to be in the irons from post 3; Jess's Dream will carry 118 pounds. Post time for his debut is 3:45 p.m. EDT.
It's exciting," McLaughlin said. "To be honest, I don't know that I've ever run a horse a mile and an eighth first time out. Here it's either 6 1/2 (furlongs), seven (furlongs), or a mile and an eighth. He's not a sprinter. It's a tough distance and he might get a little tired, but we're excited to get him in the gate and go from here. He's got a bright future."
Two races later on Monday, McLaughlin will saddle Rachel Alexandra's full sister, Samantha Nicole, in the $100,000 Summer Colony.
"She's in tough, but if we can finish first, second or third it's great for her resume," said McLaughlin. "We could have run her in an allowance race, but we opted for the stake. It's a tougher spot, but maybe we can get lucky, and she always tries hard."
Jess's Dream and Rachel's Valentina are the only foals out of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner who famously beat the boys three times—when winning the BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr. I), the Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I), and the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) in 2009. The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro suffered complications after foaling Rachel's Valentina on Feb. 12, 2013, and underwent multiple surgeries at Rood & RIddle Equine Hospital near Lexington. She has not been bred since then.