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The Queens M G seeks second Spa stakes score in G3 Adirondack

by Keith McCalmont

C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable’s The Queens M G will look to double her stakes tally in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the Thousand Words dark bay will be making her third Spa start. She finished last-of-7 as the mutuel favorite in the Astoria in June during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, but avenged that performance last out with a stalking score as the 44-1 longest shot on the board in the six-furlong Listed Schuylerville here, drawing clear to a 2 3/4-length victory over Sherbini. The winning effort garnered a career-best 73 Beyer Speed Figure.

Initially trained and owned by Israel Acevedo, The Queens M G was purchased privately after a memorable April 7 debut at Keeneland where she overcame an awkward start before making the lead through splits of 22.30 seconds and 45.84. She stayed on stubbornly to score at odds of 45-1 in a final time of 52.44, outdueling next-out Kentucky Juvenile-winner West Memorial by a head.

Joseph, Jr. said he was relieved to see The Queens M G return to form in the Schuylerville.

“Going into that race, I didn't know what to expect. I was just hoping to run a decent race and have something to build on, but she exceeded expectations,” Joseph, Jr. said. “That was a big improvement. The race before was disappointing because she had trained decent into the race, and we thought she was a good filly - and her form had worked out well with the filly she beat first time out [West Memorial] winning a stakes.”

Joseph, Jr. said the filly has bounced out of her stakes score in good order, posting an easy half-mile breeze in 50.25 seconds July 27 over the Spa main track.

Both of The Queens M G’s scores have come out of the outermost post 11 and she will have the outside draw once more Sunday when exiting post 9 under returning rider Dylan Davis.

“I don't think you'd want to put her in a spot where she's taking dirt because she hasn't done that yet, but I think she's pretty uncomplicated - she can lead, but she doesn't need the lead,” said Joseph, Jr., who will look for his third stakes win of the meet after saddling Spirit Wind to an upset score in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap on July 24.

The $3,500 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Grindstone mare Show Queen. Her third dam is dual graded stakes-winner Parade Queen.

Mrs. John Magnier and Linda Shanahan’s regally-bred White Sands [post 8, Frankie Dettori] will look to keep her perfect record intact for trainer Wesley Ward.

The Into Mischief bay has shown the way through a pair of 5 1/2-furlong sprints by a combined 23 1/4-lengths, romping to a 9 1/2-length debut score in May at Belterra Park and following last out with a 13 3/4-length victory over males in the Prairie Gold Juvenile on July 6 at Prairie Meadows.

White Sands is a half-sister to 2021 Champion Male Sprinter Jackie’s Warrior, who won 5-of-6 starts at Saratoga led by Grade 1-wins in 2020 Hopeful, the 2021 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, and the 2022 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap. Bred in Kentucky by Newstead Corp., White Sands is out of the 19-time winning A. P. Five Hundred mare Unicorn Girl, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Richard the Great, multiple stakes-winner Bernie the Maestro and stakes-winners Reaper and Turbo.

Hit The Bid Racing Stable, Morplay Racing and Randall Hartley’s Italian Soiree [post 2, Flavien Prat] will make her stakes debut for trainer John Terranova.

The Uncle Mo bay, a $600,000 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase, notched a 65 Beyer in her winning debut where she veered in at the start and impeded a pair of rivals before chasing the pace five-wide down the backstretch of the 5 1/2-furlong sprint on July 4 at Belmont at the Big A. Flavien Prat asked the bay for her best late in the turn and the filly responded in kind, taking command inside the three-sixteenths and drawing clear to a 5 1/4-length score.

Italian Soiree has breezed back twice, including a half-mile effort working inside of 3-year-old New York-bred maiden winner Hagrid’s Flame in 49.77 on July 21 over the Saratoga main track.

“She was always a touch ahead of her company, she was doing great,” Terranova said. “I wanted an older horse who was a winner to push her a little bit - just keep her tuned in. She was just kind of playing with him. She is a very nice filly, and you know we are just grateful to have her. She looks like a talented runner.”

Bred in Kentucky by Repole Stable, Italian Soiree, a full-sister to stakes-winner Be Better, is out of the Smart Strike mare Social Call - who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Old Time Hockey.

Dream Team One Racing Stable’s Kentucky homebred Anakarina [post 7, Tyler Gaffalione] graduated at second asking with a gate-to-wire score in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on June 26 at Churchill Downs that registered a 66 Beyer.

Trained by Dallas Stewart, the Vekoma chestnut’s maiden score avenged a troubled May 17 debut at the Louisville oval where she broke awkwardly and finished fifth.

Anakarina, out of the winning Tapit mare Tacit Approval, is a half-sister to the Stewart-trained dual Grade 2-winning millionaire Hoist the Gold, who captured the Grade 2 Cigar Mile Handicap presented by NYRA Bets in December at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Whatintheliteral [post 1, John Velazquez] is also looking for her second Spa stakes win, having posted a game head score over Aoraki to graduate in style in the aforementioned Astoria.

Trained by Jena Antonucci for owners horseOlogy and Craig Steinhart, the Lord Nelson dark bay was fractious in the gate ahead of the Schuylerville and stumbled badly at the break unseating Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

Whatintheliteral made her first two starts with rallying efforts in 4 1/2-furlong maiden sprints at Keeneland, including a fifth in her April 7 debut won by The Queens M G and a close third on April 24 when 3/4-lengths back of the victorious Tapit First.

She made the lead from the inside post in the Astoria and showed the way through splits of 22.16 seconds and 45.79 with Aoraki applying pressure to her outside in second position. Aoraki came over slightly on Whatintheliteral as the duo straightened away for the stretch run and the pair engaged in a gritty duel to the wire with Whatintheliteral prevailing. A stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run resulted in no change to the order of finish.

Whatintheliteral worked back five-eighths in 1:01.88 on July 26 over the Saratoga main track. Bred in Florida by Antonucci’s Bella Inizio Farm, Whatintheliteral is out of the Antonucci-campaigned New York-bred Freud mare Lilikoi, who is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Manchurian High.

Rounding out a talented field are maiden winners Atomic City [post 3, Luis Saez] for trainer Eddie Kenneally, Dare to Breeze [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, Aguas de Cristal [post 6, Javier Castellano] for conditioner Jorge Delgado, and the Jamie Ness-trained Social Fortress [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr.].

The Adirondack is slated as Race 9 on Sunday’s 10-race card which also features the Listed $150,000 Birdstone in Race 2. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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