Storm Miami might be the one to catch in G3 Waya

EGL-One Racing’s Storm Miami has been game on the lead in her last three starts and could find herself in that position again in Friday’s Grade 3, $225,000 Waya, an 11-furlong inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course. 

Trained by Amelia Green, the 5-year-old Blue Point bay was a pacesetting three-quarter-length second in the Grade 3 Sheepshead Bay in May at Belmont at the Big A ahead of crossing the wire a neck third and being demoted to fourth in the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial in June at Delaware Park. 

Storm Miami stretched out to 12 furlongs last out to finish a frontrunning 1 3/4-length runner-up in the local Grade 2 Glens Falls behind Survie, who exited to defeat males in the Grade 1 Christophe Clement Turf two weeks later for trainer George Boughey.

“We’re obviously very proud of that last effort,” Green said of the performance in which Storm Miami matched her career and co-field-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure. “The winner came back and boosted her form, which goes a long way.” 

Storm Miami [post 6, John Velazquez] now returns to 11 furlongs, the distance of her strong runs in the Sheepshead Bay and Robert G. Dick Memorial. 

“Absolutely, she should love this distance,” said Green of the slight cutback.

The Irish-bred Storm Miami, out of the Listed stakes-placed Sea The Stars mare Cosmic Love, was a $155,000 purchase at the 2026 Keeneland January Horses of Racing Age Sale. Storm Miami had made 20 starts before that buy, including a runner-up finish in the 2023 Marwell at Naas during a juvenile campaign for conditioner Ger Lyons that preceded a two-season tenure for trainer Brendan Walsh.

In the Waya, Walsh provides strong opposition to his former pupil with Massarat [post 4, Manny Franco] and Snipsnippitysnip [post 2, Edgard Zayas]. 

Shadwell Stable’s Kentucky homebred Massarat made her stakes debut in the Glens Falls and closed from 8th-of-9 to land a 4 1/2-length fourth. The 4-year-old Curlin gray entered that race from an 11-furlong optional claiming score in June at Belmont at the Big A. She is 12-3-0-2 overall with $277,375 in earnings. 

America's Pastime Stables and Bloom Racing Stable’s Snipsnippitysnip will try stakes company for the first time. The 4-year-old Girvin bay was fourth in Massarat’s aforementioned optional claiming win ahead of a last-out third to returning rival Silvology going 11 furlongs on July 19 here. She holds a career-record of 13-2-0-4 with $149,406 in earnings.

Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey sends out Stuart Janney, III’s Kentucky homebred Silvology [post 8, Javier Castellano] off her aforementioned July optional claiming win here over next-out stakes-winner Vronti and Snipsnippitysnip. The 5-year-old Blame mare returned in June from an over one-year layoff dating to a pair of graded placings in spring 2025. 

“I thought she ran really well the other day,” McGaughey said. “I train her at Belmont Park and she’s been doing really well, so we’re going in here with high hopes.”

Silvology's pair of graded placings included a head second in the 12-furlong Grade 3 Orchid at Gulfstream Park and a three-length third in the Grade 3 Sheepshead Bay at May at Belmont at the Big A. She showed improvement stretching out in distance earlier last year, graduating sixth-out at 11 furlongs and returning to win at 12 furlongs versus optional claiming company ahead of her stakes tries. 

“She’ll run as far as you want her to run,” said McGaughey. “She trained good at Belmont, so I brought her up here, ran her, she won and then I sent her back there to train.”

Silvology is out of the unraced Forestry mare Silviculture, a half-sister to millionaires Ironicus and On Leave for these same connections.

Rounding out the field are Grade 3-winner Venencia [post 5, Micah Husbands] for conditioner Saffie Joseph, Jr.; Grade 2-placed Evershed [post 1, Flavien Prat] for trainer Arnaud Delacour; Ohio-bred stakes-winner Awesomesauce [post 7, Jose Ortiz] for conditioner Joe Sharp; three-time winner Unmerited Favor [post 9, Junior Alvarado] for trainer Ken McPeek; and maiden winner Whitethorn [post 3, Luis Saez] for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. 

The Waya is slated as Race 8 on Friday’s 10-race card which also includes the $200,000 West Point presented by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Race 7. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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