Baciami Piccola headlines 10-filly Riskaverse field

by Brian Bohl

Baciami Piccola will look to gain class relief as part of a field of 10 3-year-old fillies in Thursday's $100,000 Riskaverse at a mile on the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course. 

Trained by Brian Lynch, Baciami Piccola was most recently seventh in the Grade 2 Lake George on July 22 in her Saratoga debut. The Amerman Racingfilly is the one of only two entries in the field with a graded stakes victory, having captured the Grade 3 Florida Oaks on March 12 at Tampa Bay Downs in her United States debut. She subsequently finished ninth in the Grade 3 Appalachian and eighth in the Wild Applause. 

Baciami Piccola drew post 9 with jockey Luis Saez aboard.

Marquee Miss is the field's most experienced filly, with 11 starts and three wins, including two stakes wins in the Dixie Belle and Martha Washington earlier this year at Oaklawn Park.

"If she's just left to run, she'll do pretty well," trainer Ingrid Mason said. "I feel like she's going to run her best race. She's going in the right direction. I'm quite pleased with her."

Owned by Joe Ragsdale, the daughter of Cowboy Cal seeks to improve on her first career start on turf, when she finished fifth in the TaWee on July 20 at Indiana Grand Race Course. Marquee Miss will depart post 5 with Junior Alvarado in the irons. 

"Last time, my jock took too much hold of her and she didn't care for that too much," Mason said. "I'd like to see her in stalking position where she's comfortable. They key with her is to let her do her thing."

Thrilled will make her return to the turf for the first time this year. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Thrilled last year broke her maiden and was second in the P.G. Johnson over the Saratoga turf. She will leave post 3 in tandem with Jose Lezcano.

Pricedtoperfection, Island Reward and She Doesn't Mind will enter for Chad Brown.

Pricedtoperfection, who was scratched from Sunday's Grade 2 Lake Placid, is looking for her first win since the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant on January 30 at Gulfstream Park. She leaves from post 8 with Irad Ortiz, Jr.

On Leave, trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, will make her stakes debut coming off back-to-back wins at Belmont Park. The Stuart Janney-owned War Front filly posted a career-best 87 Beyer Speed Figure last out in victory against allowance company on July 17. On Leave will exit post 7 with jockey Jose Ortiz.

The Mark Casse-trained Sky My Sky is also seeking class relief following a fourth-place finish in the Lake George. After going winless in her first four starts on dirt, Sky My Sky is 2-1-0 in five turf starts. She will leave from the outside with Florent Geroux on the saddle.

Truth, trained by Jimmy Jerkens, steps into stakes company off a maiden-breaking win on July 24 at Saratoga at 1 1/16 miles. Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the mount. 

Enjoy Yourself, who began her career in Ireland, will leave from post 6 with Ricardo Santana, Jr.   

Stella Rose and Lost Raven are also eligible.

Riskaverse is named after the Patrick Kelly-trained champion who won three Grade 1 races, including the 2004 and 2005 editions of the Flower Bowl Invitational and the 2002 Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup. She was a Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf participant every year from 2002-05.