Accede streaks into G2 Honorable Miss H.

Juddmonte’s
Kentucky homebred Accede will look to double up on Grade 2 scores when taking
on seven rivals in Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap, a
six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by
four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the 4-year-old Into Mischief bay
earned her first graded conquest last out with a prominent neck victory over
Just Katherine in the Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses on June 15 at Belmont at the Big A.
The win came with a
more forward trip than the filly had seen in her recent outings, veering out at
the start before correcting her course to duel for early command with Beguine
through the first quarter-mile. She then relinquished command to her eager foe
to stalk 1 1/2 lengths off the pace down the backside, and responded kindly
when asked for her best in the turn, taking a narrow lead at the stretch call
and digging in deep in the lane to fend off the late rush of Just Katheirne by
a neck.
Brown said the
talented filly has found her best stride as a frontrunning sprinter.
“We’ll plan on
keeping her running sprint distances and I’m really pleased with her
development,” said Brown. “She’s taken the time off well and she’s done
everything you’d want to see from three to four.”
The Bed o’ Roses
marked Accede’s third consecutive victory, adding to back-to-back
allowance-level scores in October and April at Keeneland, the first of which
came with off-the-pace tactics ahead of a more prominent win six months later.
Accede also boasts a debut graduation last March in a six-furlong tilt at
Gulfstream Park, which was preceded by a third in the Grade 2 Eight Belles in
May at Churchill Downs. She faltered when stretched out to a respective 1 1/16
miles and one mile when off-the-board in the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park and
restricted Wilton at Saratoga.
Brown added he was
pleased with Accede’s final work for the Honorable Miss when covering a
half-mile in 48.46 over the Spa main track Thursday.
“She’s doing great
and had her final work today,” said Brown. “She’s come back this year a little
faster and stronger after a rest after her 3-year-old season. I really like
where she’s at.”
Accede owns an
8-4-0-1 record with $373,650 in earnings. She is out of the multiple graded
stakes-winning Mizzen Mast mare Jibboom, a full-sister to Magnifica – dam of
multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Gold Phoenix.
Flavien Prat as the
call from the inside post [122 pounds].
Robert and Lawana
Low’s Grade 1-placed Munnys Gold returns to stakes company for the first time
in almost one year for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The 4-year-old
daughter of Munnings was last seen making a successful return to the races
after a 10-month layoff when besting seven rivals in a six-furlong allowance
sprint on June 7 here. The speedy filly earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for the
gate-to-wire effort, the co-highest last-out figure in the field.
“I thought it was a
very good comeback. It was good to see her back in what appears to be top
form,” Pletcher said. “It was a good stepping stone to this. I think she’s had
some physical maturity [since last year] and is a little bigger and a little
stronger.”
Munnys Gold
graduated by 14 1/2 lengths at first asking in June 2022 in a five-furlong
sprint at Monmouth Park that garnered a 101 Beyer. She was away from the races
until last January, but returned with aplomb to post back-to-back open-lengths
victories in Florida in a state-bred allowance at Gulfstream Park and the
state-bred Sophomore Fillies at Tampa Bay Downs, the latter producing a 106
Beyer for a 17 1/4-length tour de force.
She went on to
finish a close second in the Grade 2 Eight Belles ahead of a respective fourth
and third in Grade 1 company in the Acorn and Saratoga’s seven-furlong Test.
Munnys Gold has
worked consistently at Saratoga, and breezed a half-mile solo in 50.50 seconds
Wednesday over the main track.
“She’s doing
excellent and breezed well yesterday. Everything is on target,” Pletcher said.
“She’s a pretty enthusiastic horse to train on a daily basis, so we just try to
keep her as calm and relaxed as we can. She’s an absolute sweetheart to be
around, unless you’re trying to gallop her. She’s very forward in her gallops.”
Irad Ortiz, Jr. has
the call from post 8 [118 pounds].
Hill ‘n’ Dale
Equine Holdings and Jarret Prussin's Clearly Unhinged looks to remain perfect
in her tenure with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.
The 4-year-old Into
Mischief bay won twice for conditioner Michael McCarthy and was defeated a head
by Pretty Mischievous in the Grade 1 Test here last year before a runner-up
effort in the Grade 3 Chillingworth at Santa Anita Park. She completed her sophomore
season with off-the-board finishes there in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and
Mare Sprint and Grade 1 La Brea.
This year, Clearly
Unhinged is undefeated in two outings for Asmussen, beginning with a 2
3/4-length win in a five-furlong off-the-turf optional claimer in April at
Churchill Downs and most recently notching her first graded victory in the
Grade 3 Winning Colors on May 27 over the same oval. Both wins came after
prominent trips engineered by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, who returns to the
irons from post 4 [122 pounds] Wednesday.
Miller Racing’s
graded stakes-winner Spirit Wind [post 6, Mike Smith, 120 pounds] also earned a
98 Beyer last out for a win in the Memorial Day Sprint on May 28 at Lone Star
Park. Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the daughter of Bahamian Squall stalked
and pounced to a definitive 3 1/2-length win over Accomplished Girl with Hall
of Famer Mike Smith in the irons for the first time.
Spirit Wind seeks
her first graded victory since taking the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl in gate-to-wire
fashion in December at Gulfstream when in the care of Carlos David. She began
her career with trainer Ralph Nicks and graduated at second asking by 15 1/2
lengths en route to her first stakes wins in the Any Limit and Musical Romance
at Gulfstream. She made her first start for Joseph, Jr. with a close third in
the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie in March before an off-the-board finish in the
Grade 1 Derby City Distaff in May at Churchill.
Completing the
field are the multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Sterling Silver [post
5, Junior Alvarado, 118 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; the pair of
dual graded stakes-placed Hot Fudge [post 7, Jose Lezcano, 120 pounds] and
stakes-placed Everyoneloveslinda [post 2, Eric Cancel, 116 pounds] for
conditioner Linda Rice; and the Jose D’Angelo-trained stakes-winner Freedom
Speaks [post 3, Luis Saez, 117 pounds].
The Honorable Miss
is slated as Race 7 on Wednesday’s nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m.
Eastern.
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