Silvertoni heads 100th running of G2 Adirondack

by Dave Litfin

Returning home after a fruitless trip to rain-soaked Royal Ascot, Silvertoniheads a field of six 2-year-old fillies in Saturday's centennial running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Silvertoni, trained by Wesley Ward, was unplaced in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes last time out. However the daughter of Tapit will likely appreciate returning to dirt, where she won her first two starts in front-running style, capped by the Kentucky Juvenile against males at Churchill Downs, in which she fought back gamely after being headed.

"I think she can 'grass' as well, but she caught soggy turf over there," said Ward. "She's a big filly and she was just kind of sinking into it. She's only going to get better as she goes further. She has a big, strong, lengthy stride and it's tough to get by her because she just keeps running."

Silvertoni gets a rider switch to Joel Rosario as she breaks from post position 3 in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack. She carries 122 pounds as the only stakes winner in the race, conceding four pounds to all.

Libby's Tail is likely to attract strong support, as she earned the top Beyer Speed Figure of 77 for her debut at Belmont Park, where she rallied from last under Irad Ortiz, Jr. to draw off in deep stretch.

"To tell you the truth, I thought we were dead," said trainer Rudy Rodriguez of Libby Tail's unveiling. "She had shown us a lot of potential, but she didn't break that good and she was getting sand in the face, but she was very, very professional. She has to step up Saturday, but she's showed class right from the beginning and she's improving."

Ortiz, who topped the Spa standings with 28 wins heading into Week 4, has a return call on Libby's Tail, who drew post 5.

D. Wayne Lukas has won the Adirondack six times - four in a row from 1985-88 - and most recently in 2005 with Folklore, who became his seventh 2-year-old filly champion. The Hall of Fame conditioner shoots for a seventh Adirondack with Dial Me, who exits a sharp maiden victory at Ellis Park.

Dial Me, a daughter of freshman sire Dialed In, breaks from the rail with Luis Saez aboard.

Meanwhile, erstwhile Team Lukas assistant Todd Pletcher has won three of the Adirondack's last 10 renewals. He sends out Nonna Mela, who overcame a stumbling start to break her maiden by better than seven lengths second time out at Monmouth Park.

Nonna Mela picks up three-time Eclipse Award winner Javier Castellano and leaves from post 2.

As with Libby's Tail and Nonna Mela, a slow start did not deter Ever So Clever from beating maidens in July. The Medaglia d'Oro filly drew away smartly when unveiled at Churchill Downs by Steve Asmussen, who will be inducted into the National Racing Museum Hall of Fame Friday.

Asmussen won last year's Adirondack with Just Wicked, as well as the 2011 edition with eventual division champ My Miss Aurelia.

Ever So Clever begins from the outside post with John Velazquez in the irons.

Completing the lineup is Olive Branch, who hasn't had much luck since winning at first asking for Rick Violette, Jr. in May. 

Olive Branch was scheduled to run in the Astoria during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, but was scratched after a paddock incident, and then needed a shoe repair prior to a fifth-place finish in the Schuylerville Stakes.

Olive Branch once again has Jose Ortiz up and breaks from post 4.

The Adirondack, race 9 on an 11-race program, will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2; post time is 5:54 p.m.