Jen Pottheiser Photo

Magic Dance draws outside for G2 Adirondack

by Ryan Martin

Three Chimneys Farm's Magic Dance will look to stay unbeaten, drawing the outside post in the eight-horse filed assembled for Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack for 2-year-old fillies over the Saratoga Race Course main track.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, a two-time Adirondack winner, trains the daughter of More Than Ready, who is the field's lone only stakes winner. Last out, she was a 1 ½-length victor of the Debutante at Churchill Downs, building on a 4 ¾-length triumph in her June 7 debut over the Louisville oval. She defeated next-out winner Josie and registered an 84 Beyer Speed Figure in that effort.

"I think Steve has been happy with her and she's going into the race positively," said Doug Cauthen of Three Chimneys Farm. "She's settled into Saratoga well. With the outside post, hopefully she just breaks away from there and see what everyone else does and play it by ear after that. I would expect Frank's Rockette is going to be the main competition and with her down closer [Post 2], maybe she goes and this filly gets to follow her."

A victory in the Adirondack would give Magic Dance's dam Magical World, by Distorted Humor, her second progeny to score at graded stakes caliber this meet. Last weekend, her older sister Guarana won the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks.

"Both are pretty fast, but this filly has more proving to do," Cauthen said. "She's answered every call, she's young, she's in great hands and I think it'll be a great race."

Magic Dance will be ridden by Ricardo Santana, Jr.

Frank's Rockette will make her stakes debut in the Adirondack after an 8 ¾-length victory in her debut on June 21 at Churchill Downs. A Frank Fletcher Racing Operations homebred, the bay filly is by Into Mischief and is out of the graded stakes-winning Indian Charlie broodmare Rocket Twentyone.

Frank's Rockette will be reunited with jockey Julien Leparoux and will leave from post 2.

Trainer Mark Casse will saddle Tracy Farmer's Perfect Alibi, who was three-quarters of a length shy of winning the Astoria at Belmont Park last out. The dark bay Sky Mesa filly was a 9 ½ length winner of her career debut on May 16 at Churchill Downs before a close second in her stakes debut. Perfect Alibi is out of the stakes-winning Maria's Mon broodmare No Use Denying. She will break from post 3 under two-time Saratoga leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., who guided Cavorting to a victory in the 2014 Adirondack.

Trainer Gary Gullo will saddle Big Q and Miss Peppina, both of which were upset first out maiden winners.

Big Q was a half-length winner over the Saratoga main track against fellow New York-breds on July 11 at 14-1 odds. Owned by DutchessViews Farm, the Big Brown bay was bred in the Empire State by Golden Goose Enterprises. She will be guided by Jose Lezcano from the inside post.

Owned by Gullo in partnership with Bob Petersons Stables, Frank Bellavia and West Point Thoroughbreds, Miss Peppina defeated open company in her career debut at 12-1 odds over the Belmont Park main track on July 3. The chestnut Bayern filly was bred in Florida by Orlyana Farm and was an $80,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders Sales Company's 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale this April. She will be guided by Joel Rosario from post 6.

Integral [post 4, John Velazquez], Mylastfirstkiss [post 5, Chris Landeros] and Just Fly [post 7, Luis Saez] round out the field.

The Adirondack is slated as Race 10 on Sunday's 11-race card. First post is 1 p.m.