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TRACK BANDIT PREVIEW
Two-year-old fillies will line up for Wednesday's 91st running of the Adirondack S. (G2) at Saratoga, and we're intrigued by two impressive first-out maiden winners -- PHANTOM INCOME (Montbrook) and PASSION (Came Home). The former rates the slightest of nods due to the fact that she has been on the grounds and trained over the track where as the latter is a recent arrival from Chicago. Phantom Income couldn't have looked any better when she broke her maiden by 10 1/4 lengths in her debut at Belmont Park. The Richard Violette Jr. trainee pressed the early issue while three-wide down the backstretch, dueled with the horse to her inside around the turn, took the lead on her own volition with the rider sitting chilly near the quarter-mile pole, then quickly opened up a sizeable advantage in upper stretch before galloping under the wire without really being asked. She may be able to work out a stalk-and-pounce trip in this spot at decent odds. Note Eibar Coa stays aboard. Passion broke running and dueled for the early lead before seizing command on her own courage turning for home. The Todd Pletcher pupil easily drew off through the stretch under nothing more than a mild hand ride, breaking her maiden by 7 1/2 lengths on Polytrack in her debut at Arlington Park. The dark bay filly has breezed three times since at Arlington and figures to be a forwardly placed inside factor. She could offer attractive odds despite her connections. The musically named BSHARPSONATA (Pulpit) was a good-looking maiden winner in her debut at Delaware Park and is listed at 20-1 on the morning line. The Timothy Salzman lass broke quickly and chased a fast pace before advancing three-wide into the lane. She took the lead in midstretch under mild encouragement and drew off under a hand ride, winning by a widening 2 1/2 lengths while running five furlongs in a solid :58. Bsharpsonata brings her rider, Oliver Castillo, and could crash the exotics at a big price. The Bob Baffert-trained MORE HAPPY (Vindication), a $1 million purchase earlier this year, won first time out by a measured neck on Polytrack at Del Mar. The dark bay filly pressed the early issue, then dueled with the runner-up, Foxy Danseur (Mr. Greeley), through the stretch, before proving best under a hand ride. The latter, however, galloped out in front of More Happy and recently finished third (as a maiden) in the Sorrento S. (G3). As the 2-1 morning-line favorite, More Happy could be vulnerable at short odds. I PROMISE (Hook and Ladder) just missed in the Schuylerville S. (G3) on opening day and figures to attract plenty of action at the windows. The Gary Contessa trainee broke running, opened a clear lead on the backstretch and around the turn, then battled gamely under a hard drive to lose a heartbreaker on the line. Our concern is that she could regress off such a hard effort and that Coa abandons her in favor of Phantom Income. Calder shipper YONAGUCCI (Yonaguska) is fast and has longshot appeal. The bay filly broke a step slow, advanced on the rail, bulled her way through a tight spot near the three-eighths marker to take the lead, then edged away through the lane to win the J J'sdream S. by open lengths last out. Like Bsharpsonata, she is an interesting price play, especially if wet. A TO THE CROFT (Menifee) was a first-out maiden winner at Churchill Downs, but saved all the ground around the turn before splitting horses near the furlong-marker and driving to victory. She has trained well since and has some minor longshot appeal under the hot-riding Kent Desormeaux. The Steve Asmussen-trained SKY MOM (Maria's Mon) won two in a row in Kentucky and exits a distant, non-threatening second as the odds-on favorite in the My Dear S. on Polytrack at Woodbine. We're going to play against. HONEST TO BETSY (Yonaguska) broke her maiden in a good time at Belmont in her first start for conditioner Dale Romans, but began life as a runner-up for a $50,000 tag. Mixed signals.
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