Stakes-winner Celtic Dawn looks to bounce back in NYSSS Statue of Liberty

Blue Devil Racing Stable’s New York homebred Celtic Dawn will look for her second career stakes victory in Wednesday’s $150,000 Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, an inner turf mile for eligible state-sired sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Carlos Martin, Celtic Dawn suffered her first career defeat last out in the local 1 1/16-mile state-bred Suzie O’Cain on July 23, finishing sixth 5 1/2 lengths back of the victorious Cosmic Candy Girl. She won her first three starts, all at sprint distances, including the NYSSS Cupecoy’s Joy on June 13 at Belmont at the Big A.

“She’s doing well and it was a little disappointing the other day, but she’d never run that distance and she may have come up a little short,” Martin said. “I was really confident going in, but we kind of let her settle and rate and the pace was a little slow. The filly that won the race ran a strong race, but I think we got a lot out of it and she’s trained very well since then.”

The Honest Mischief grey won her debut last August here, taking a 5 1/2-furlong off-the-turf state-bred maiden by three lengths after stalking and pouncing from fourth. She was away from the races until May when she returned with a 1 1/4-length score against older state-breds in a first-level allowance at Belmont at the Big A en route to the six-furlong Cupecoy’s Joy, where she earned a career-best 80 Beyer Speed Figure.

Celtic Dawn has worked back twice since the Suzie O’Cain, including a five-eighths move in 1:01.34 on August 12 over the Saratoga main track under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who rode her in each of her wins and missed the Suzie O’Cain due to injury. He returns to the irons from post 5 in the Statue of Liberty.

Martin said the work impressed both him and owner Marc Holliday, who serves as the chairman of The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and was in Saratoga this week to receive the John Hendrickson and Marylou Whitney Award alongside his wife, Sheree, for their support of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy.

“Castellano was happy and she finished well and came back really good,” Martin said. “Mr. Holliday came to watch her breeze as he was in town with his wife, Sheree, to celebrate the award from the Race Track Chaplaincy. It was a beautiful morning, and they lit up and said, ‘boy, she looks great.’ I told Mr. Holliday it’s a no-brainer and we have to run in this race if she’s doing well.”

Celtic Dawn is a second-generation homebred for the Hollidays, and was produced from the winning Paddy O’Prado mare Tapa Liath, who was trained by Martin for the majority of her career.

West Point Thoroughbreds, James Politano and LVD Racing’s stakes-winner She’s Country [post 7, Manny Franco] will make her return from a more than nine-month respite for trainer George Weaver.

The New York-bred daughter of Combatant was last seen winning the state-bred Key Cents going this distance in November at Aqueduct Racetrack. There, she stalked the pace along the inside under Castellano and angled out in the turn to loom large outside the pacesetting Fancy Lights. The aforementioned Cosmic Candy Girl charged down the center of the course and took the lead at the sixteenth pole, but She’s Country showed courage between rivals to will herself to the front just in time and claim victory by a head in a final time of 1:38.70.

Weaver said Wednesday’s affair is a good starting point for the gutsy filly’s sophomore bow.

“This should be a good spot for her, makes sense at a mile,” Weaver said. “She’s had some time off. You’d kind of rather have a start beforehand, but she’s fit. She should be fit enough.”

She’s Country debuted with a local state-bred maiden win last August going 1 1/16 miles, pressing the pace and drawing off impressively to the six-length victory under Irad Ortiz, Jr. She followed with a stalking fourth in the Selima versus open company over the same distance in September at Laurel Park ahead of her Key Cents score.

Bred by Twin Oaks Bloodstock, She’s Country was an $80,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the Malibu Moon mare Lunar Affair. Her second dam is the stakes-placed Magical Affair.

The Linda Rice-trained Combat Move [post 4, Jose Ortiz] wheels back from a local Thursday graduation at second asking for owners Winning Move Stable, Sanford H. Robbins, Lady Sheila Stable, Silverwood Stables and IEE Racing.

A dark bay daughter of Combatant, Combat Move was a one-length second in her July 18 debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs here, and remained at that distance to break her maiden by 2 1/4 lengths with a rallying trip under returning rider Jose Ortiz. She makes her turf debut in the Statue of Liberty after both of her starts were in off-the-turf events.

Bred in New York by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the Central Banker mare Moneybackguarantee, a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Sherine and stakes-placed Biloxi Pride.

Trainer Anthony Ferraro and Elliot Wells’ Lifeisbutadream [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche] ships in from Finger Lakes Racetrack to make her turf debut off a determined head victory in a state-bred allowance mile facing elders on August 5.

The Lookin At Lee dark bay was last-of-4 and four lengths off the pace through the first half-mile, and came with a late surge to put her head down at the wire in a final time of 1:40.82, awarding her a career-best 66 Beyer.

Bred in the Empire State by Evelyn Burke, Lifeisbutadream finished a distant fourth in the state-bred New York Oaks going 1 1/16 miles on July 13 at the Farmington oval, where she boasts two other victories.

Completing the field are maiden winners Morning Prayer [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] for trainer Tom Morley and Greyjoy [post 2, Tyler Gaffalione], who wheels back from a runner-up effort in a local claiming tilt on August 12 for conditioner John Terranova; maiden Into the Unknown [post 1, Luis Saez] for trainer and co-owner Rachel Sells; and the career-debuting Shake Em Off [post 8, Flavien Prat] for conditioner Michelle Nevin.

Hanna’s Hideaway has been entered for the main track-only.

The Statue of Liberty is slated as Race 7 on Wednesday’s eight-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

Saratoga Live presents daily coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.