Juvenile Fillies in Spotlight at Del Mar and Saratoga Sunday

Juvenile fillies take center stage in a pair of Grade I events at Del Mar and Saratoga Sunday.

Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.’s Princess Noor (Not This Time) headlines a field of six set for the GI Del Mar Debutante S. After topping the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training at $1.35 million, she ran to the billing with a ‘TDN Rising Star’ performance on debut for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert at Del Mar Aug. 22.

She takes on the unbeaten My Girl Red (Texas Red), who made it two-for-two with a 4 3/4-length victory over first-time starter Get On the Bus (Uncle Mo) in the GII Sorrento S. Aug. 7.

A field of six will also line up for Saratoga’s GI Spinaway S.

‘TDN Rising Star’ Beautiful Memories (Hard Spun), a double-digit debut winner at Churchill Downs May 28, gets the nod as the 9-5 morning-line favorite despite being pulled up as the heavy favorite in the GIII Schuylerville S. last time July 16. She, however, bounced back with a flashy four-furlong bullet in :46 1/5 (1/14) for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse at Saratoga Aug. 5.

The Ohio-bred Esplanande (Daredevil) puts a perfect three-for-three record on the line. She beat the boys in her last two stakes attempts, including a win in the Best of Ohio Cleveland Kindergarten S. at Thistledown Aug. 8.

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Dayoutoftheoffice Posts 19-1 Upset In Opening Day Schuylerville

Graded stakes action at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., kicked off on Thursday with a 19-1 upset when Dayoutoftheoffice made the most out of a trip to the Spa in taking the 102nd running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Schuylerville over the main track.

Trained by Timothy Hamm, who co-owns the dark bay juvenile daughter of Into Mischief with Siena Farm, Dayoutoftheoffice arrived at the six-furlong event for 2-year-old fillies off a 4 3/4-length maiden triumph on debut traveling 4 1/2-furlongs at Gulfstream Park.

Piloted by Junior Alvarado, Dayoutoftheoffice broke sharply from post 7 and tracked in third to the outside of frontrunners Make Mischief and Hara with the former establishing command, leading the field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.29 seconds on the main track rated fast.

At the top of the stretch, Hara had dropped out of contention while Dayoutoftheoffice began making her winning move with Make Mischief up front to catch. Approaching the three-sixteenths pole, Dayoutoftheoffice took command with Hopeful Princess making a late bid to the far outside. But there was no catching Dayoutoftheoffice, who drew away to a six-length victory in a final time of 1:10.43 over Make Mischief who was another length to the better of Hopeful Princess.

Completing the full order of finish were Hara, Queen Arella and Quinoa Tifah.

Beautiful Memories, the 1-2 post time favorite, was pulled up around the far turn and walked home under her own power. Sunny Isle Beach was scratched.

“Last time in the first sixteenth of a mile, it took her a little bit to get going, so my goal today was to get a good position,” Alvarado said. “I knew she would handle the distance fine today. She broke good and put me in a good spot and I was for sure a smiling person the whole way around. I knew what I had under me and she responded very well when I asked her turning for home.”

The victory marked a third career graded stakes triumph for Hamm, who had not struck gold at such caliber since winning Keeneland's Grade 3 Appalachian with Afternoon Stroll in 2009.

Hamm said he was hoping for his filly to be sitting just off the pace, and he got exactly what he wanted.

“We knew there would be a lot of speed, but I thought if we could be third or fourth early, we'd have a big chance. When I saw her coming into the turn laying third, I thought we had a shot,” Hamm said. “We got the trip we were hoping to get. In the paddock, he [jockey Junior Alvarado] said to me, 'Into the turn if you could pick a spot for me to be, where would that be?' I said third right outside the speed. When I saw him laying there, I said, 'Wow we're still alive.'”

After banking $55,000 in victory, Dayoutoftheoffice enhanced her lifetime earnings to $79,000 and is unbeaten in two starts. She rewarded her backers in payouts of $41.60 for a $2 win bet.

Bred in Kentucky by co-owner Siena Farm, Dayoutoftheoffice is out of the Indian Charlie broodmare Gottahaveadream.

Jockey Jose Ortiz, aboard beaten favorite Beautiful Memories, said that his filly had a small cut on her right front leg.

“She stumbled out of the gate and was traveling OK, but she was getting a lot of dirt in her face,” Ortiz said. “Going into the turn, she switched leads and I noticed she wasn't traveling well, so I decided to take care of her. It was a tough decision to make. She had a small cut on her right front. I don't think it's serious.”

Live racing returns on Friday afternoon with a 10-race card which features the $85,000 De La Rose for fillies and mares going one mile over the inner turf and the $85,000 Shine Again for fillies and mares going seven furlongs over the main track. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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U.S.’s First 2-Year-Old Winner Quinoa Tifah Returns In Thursday’s Schuylerville

Arindel Farm's Quinoa Tifah, the winner of the first race for 2-year-olds in the U.S. this year at Gulfstream Park, is set to make her much-anticipated return in Thursday's Schuylerville (G3) on Saratoga's opening-day program.

The Arindel homebred will be joined in the six-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies by two other recent Gulfstream winners, J Stables LLC and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Queen Arella and Briannjenn Racing LLC's Hara.

Juan Alvarado-trained Quinoa Tifah chased the heavily favored Lime before scoring over the Wesley Ward trainee by three-quarters of a length in a $65,000 maiden special weight race April 16 at Gulfstream. The Florida-bred daughter of Gemologist, who is not eligible for the upcoming Florida Sire Stakes series, ran 4 ½-furlongs in 52 seconds. Manny Franco has the call.

Queen Arella overcame a very troubled start in a May 29 maiden special weight race at Gulfstream to win her debut going away by four lengths. The Roderick Rodriguez-trained filly provided freshman sire Speightster with his first winner, running five furlongs in 59.54 seconds. Joel Rosario has the mount aboard the New York-bred filly.

Hara, who set a pressured pace before settling for second behind by Queen Arella in her debut, came back to score an impressive front-running eight-length victory at Gulfstream June 19. Tyler Gaffalione, a multi-meet champion at Gulfstream fresh off winning titles at Keeneland and Churchill Downs, has the call.

John Oxley's Beautiful Memories, a handy 10-length winner at Churchill in her recent debut for trainer Mark Casse, has been installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite.

One race later on the Saratoga card, Global Thoroughbred and Top Racing LLC's Caracaro, an impressive maiden winner during Gulfstream's Championship Meet, is scheduled to make his long-awaited return to action in the Peter Pan (G3).

Trained by Gustavo Delgado, the son of Uncle Mo has been idle since scoring an eye-catching six-length victory at a mile Jan. 11. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano has the call on Caracaro, who set a pressured pace in his Dec. 8 debut at Gulfstream before finishing second to a next-out winner. Mathis Stable LLC's Candy Tycoon, who broke his maiden at Gulfstream before finishing second in the Fountain of Youth (G2), is along among the eight 3-year-olds entered in the 1 1/8-mile race.

Saffie Joseph Jr., the Gulfstream Spring/Summer Meet's leading trainer, has sent multiple graded-stakes winner Tonalist's Shape to Saratoga for Saturday's Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Doug Branham and Legacy Ranch Inc., the daughter of Tonalist, is currently ninth in qualifying points for the Sept. 2 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs. Tonalist's Shape, an impressive allowance winner at Gulfstream in her most recent start, won the Forward Gal (G3) and the Davona Dale (G2) during the Championship Meet.

Joseph is also scheduled to send out Ny Traffic for Saturday's $1 million Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park. The 3-year-old son of Cross Traffic, who is owned by John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing and Paul Braverman, won an allowance at Gulfstream in his first start for Joseph before finishing third in the Risen Star (G2) and second in both the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds and the Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs. Ny Traffic is currently eighth in qualifying points for the Sept. 3 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill.

Grupo 7C Racing Stable's Jesus' Team, a runner-up to Sole Volante in a stakes-quality allowance at Gulfstream last time out, was also entered in the Haskell by trainer Jose D'Angelo.

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Ready to Make New Memories at the Spa

John C. Oxley homebred Beautiful Memories (Hard Spun) headlines a field of eight juvenile fillies set for Thursday’s co-featured GIII Schuylerville S. at the Spa.

Trained by Mark Casse, the chestnut aired by 10 lengths for ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors on debut at Churchill Downs May 28. She’s registered a pair of bullet workouts in Louisville since, including a five-furlong spin in :59 1/5 (1/34) July 4.

Beautiful Memories’ third dam is champion older mare Beautiful Pleasure, who carried Oxley’s gold-and-blue silks to six top-level victories, led by a win in the 1999 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

“We broke her and had her down at the training center all winter and she seemed special,” Casse said. “I told Mr. Oxley when I breezed her that she gave me chills and that doesn’t happen often.”

Casse continued, “You always want to see more than just one time. She’s come back and trained well and her last two works have been really good. We’re hoping for a similar performance, but we’ll let her do the talking.”

Hopeful Princess (Not This Time) makes her first start for Stonestreet Stables and Steve Asmussen. She became the first winner for her in-demand freshman sire graduating on debut for Jackie Huckaby, Imaginary Stables and Donna G. Hancock and trainer John A. Hancock with a hard-fought victory beneath the Twin Spires May 21.

Like Beautiful Memories, Hopeful Princess earned a field-best 75 Beyer Speed Figure on debut.

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