After capturing the Schuylerville (G3) in her career debut, Becky’s Joker returns for the next graded event for two-year-old fillies at Saratoga, the $200,000 Adirondack (G3) on Sunday. The Gary Contessa pupil will face unbeaten Debutante S. victress Brightwork, Schuylerville runner-up Saratoga Secret, and several recent maiden winners in the 6 1/2-furlong affair.
Becky’s Joker belied her inexperience on the racetrack with a decisive victory in the Schuylerville, splitting foes and drawing 3 1/4 lengths clear. Contessa has explained his rationale for pitching the Practical Joke filly straight into the Schuylerville, rather than starting out in maiden company.
“I didn’t think anybody was better than her physically, and I really thought she could win that race,” Contessa said. “I just didn’t know what to expect mentally, because we can’t recreate a field of horses in the morning with her getting dirt in her face or a break in the flow or having to overcome traffic. You just don’t know how a horse is going to handle that, but I had a very strong belief that mentally she was very sound, and physically she was very talented. It was a combination of the two.”
Initially expecting to skip the Adirondack and point for the Spa’s marquee race in the division, the Sept. 3 Spinaway (G1), Contessa realized that Becky’s Joker was on her game for Sunday.
“She’s just so level-headed about everything,” her trainer said. “She doesn’t get stressed out about anything, and she’s very cool, calm and collected. She’s the perfect horse and ready to run back. I was going to wait for the Spinaway, but she’s doing so well and watching her train, I thought it would do well to run her. And, we still have 28 days until the Spinaway after this race, so it’s not like we’re for want of time.”
Becky’s Joker will break from the far outside post 10 with a returning Javier Castellano.
Saratoga Secret, who won first time out at Ellis Park, gamely persevered for second in the Schuylerville. But the daughter of Arrogate has her work cut out to turn the tables, as Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas recognizes.
“She ran really well,” said Lukas, a record seven-time Adirondack winner. “I thought she may have needed that race, and she’s improved a little bit. But the winner was too much, let’s be honest. I’d like to take mine out again.
“I really think that horse (Becky’s Joker) will be a legitimate favorite for her to rope down through there like she did in that last race – that was pretty impressive. Gary deserves a good one.”
The other with stakes experience in the field, Brightwork, has already beaten a couple of big names. Before toppling odds-on V V’s Dream in the July 2 Debutante at Ellis Park, the John Ortiz filly scored a debut win at Keeneland over Crimson Advocate, who went on to win the Queen Mary (G2) at Royal Ascot. Now Brightwork picks up Irad Ortiz Jr. as she goes for a hat trick.
Three other Ellis alumnae are in the Adirondack, all coming off sharp first-out tallies. Copper Em, from the first crop of 2017 Saratoga Special (G2) star Copper Bullet, rolled by 4 1/4 lengths on June 30. She shares her sire’s connections, Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen.
Here U Come Again, a Liam’s Map filly trained by Brad Cox, likewise showed speed in her 2 1/4-length score over the same five-furlong trip. Cox forecasts that she’ll be effective on the step up in distance for the Adirondack.
“I think it’s a good thing for her,” Cox said of the added ground. “I’m not saying she’s a mile and a sixteenth filly, but I think she’s got a good mind and can sit a good trip and finish up. I’ve liked her from day one. The first time I saw her, she was one who stamped herself as really good.”
Streaming Now didn’t race as fast in her 5 1/2-furlong wire job at Ellis June 16, but the Paulo Lobo pupil has pedigree power. By leading sire Into Mischief, the OXO Equine homebred is out of a half-sister to Shancelot, the dominant winner of the 2019 Amsterdam (G2) here and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
Wesley Ward sends out Princesa Celina, a 7 1/4-length conqueror as a heavy odds-on favorite in her Belmont Park unveiling. The Quality Road filly will try to become the fifth stakes performer for her dam, the Sky Mesa mare Lastofthesummerwine, whose headliners are graded winners Conquest Panthera and Happy Like a Fool. Magic Cross, by hot young sire Good Magic, outperformed her 15-1 odds when romping in her 5 1/2-furlong premiere at Belmont Park. The Bill Mott trainee is eligible to keep progressing with maturity and distance.
Cara’s Time also won first up at Belmont, but just by a neck in a five-furlong dash for New York-breds. Princess Indy hopes to build on her five-length debut win at Monmouth Park.
The Adirondack is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. (ET) as Sunday’s eighth race.
