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Sophomore Fillies Star on Final Friday Card at Saratoga

Sophomore filly sprinters get their time to shine on the final Friday of the Saratoga meet in the GII Prioress S. Hot Peppers (Khozan) seeks redemption after being run down late and forced to settle for second last out in the Aug. 6 GI Test S. at this venue. She captured her first two starts for the Rudy Rodriguez barn in the June 12 Jersey Girl S. and July 9 GIII Victory Ride S.

“She's doing everything we ask her. We're just lucky they picked us and give us the opportunity,” said Rodriguez. “We just have to keep her happy and she's a runner. I think the trainer before [Ronald Spatz] did a very good job.”

Wicked Halo (Gun Runner) looks to add yet another accomplishment to her sensational sire's constantly improving resume. Winner of the GII Adirondack S. at this venue last year, the gray enters off back-to-back stakes triumphs at Churchill Downs.

A pair of native New Yorkers are also worth a look here in Test fourth-place finisher and Bouwerie S. winner Sterling Silver (Cupid) and track-and-trip, NY-bred union Avenue H. winner Bank On Anna (Central Banker). Also worth a look is Smash Ticket (Midnight Lute), who wired an optional claimer going six panels at the Spa July 20, good for an 89 Beyer Speedy Figure, and ran a field best Beyer of 92 in her previous start at Lone Star.

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Baker Celebrates Saratoga Successes With Cilla, Gold Panda

Standing outside his barn on Saratoga's Oklahoma training track side Sunday morning, trainer Charlton Baker said how much he enjoys training at the Spa in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., but will have to return to Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., once the 40-day summer meet concludes tomorrow.

Baker's affinity for Saratoga is well founded, as the conditioner was one of just 12 trainers to register at least eight wins during the prestigious meet entering Sunday action, carrying an 8-2-2 record with 26 starters into the day.

On Saturday, Baker was credited with his third career graded stakes win and first since 2016 when P. Dale Ladner's Cilla bested favorite Souper Sensational by a half-length to win the $250,000 Grade 2 Prioress for sophomore fillies sprinting six furlongs. The win was a technicality for Baker, who saddled the Louisiana bred for trainer Brett Brinkman, who did not take out a license in New York but was on hand to witness the victory that earned Cilla an 88 Beyer.

While Brinkman remains Cilla's trainer, Baker is the conditioner of record, officially tallying his first graded stakes score since Joking won the 2016 Grade 1 Vosburgh and Grade 2 True North. A connection with former Baker employee Lisa Whitaker, who now works for Brinkman, helped facilitate what turned out to be a winning move for all involved.

“That was impressive. She's a very nice-looking filly to start with and she looks like she has come class to her, and it was nice to see her come in and get the win for them,” Baker said. “One of my old employees works for him, so Brett called him a couple of weeks ago about it. He wanted to come but wasn't sure what to do, so we talked about it and handled it that way.

“I get credited with it, but that's all it is,” Baker added with a laugh. “But Brett did the work.”

Baker has also enjoyed Saratoga success with his own stock, highlighted by Happy Face Racing Stable's Gold Panda, who improved to 2-for-2 at the meet after registering a 2 1/4-length score in a seven-furlong allowance contest on September 3 over the Saratoga main track.

The 3-year-old Goldencents gelding did not make his debut until July when running third in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint at Belmont. Gold Panda followed with a maiden-breaking 5 1/2-length win on August 19 over a sloppy and sealed Spa track before winning his second consecutive start and garnering an 88 Beyer for his Friday victory over a fast track.

“He's getting better every start. We figured we'd give him a little bit of time before his next race and go from there. He's definitely developing,” said Baker, who said his next start will likely be a two-other-than at Belmont. “Eventually, if he keeps on progressing, I think he's headed to [stakes] company. He has the mind to do it and the ability. He can be a nice horse.”

Gold Panda, a $65,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-Bred Yearling Sale, was bred in the Empire State by T/C Stable. Baker said the patience in not racing him as a juvenile has paid off as Gold Panda continues to progress.

“He just needed to mature. As a 2-year-old, we wasn't ready to go. We gave him some time and let him mature and brought him back this year and he's got better and better,” Baker said. “He ran a good race the first time out and then he came back and won. He learned from the first and I think he's just going to go forward from there.”

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Cilla Rallies In Saratoga Stretch To Win Prioress

After a stretch duel with Souper Sensational that saw the two brushing not once but twice, Cilla, last-out winner of the Blue Sparkler at Monmouth Park, rallied late to win by a half-length at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Under Tyler Gaffalione, Cilla broke sharp and then settled into fourth behind Oxana and Edie Meeny Miny Mo, who traded the lead early in the six-furlong Prioress. Victor Espinoza, in from California to ride Edie Meeny Miny Mo for a second time, took over entering the far turn, but could not hold on to the advantage entering the stretch. To her outside, both Cilla and Souper Sensational took up position for their stretch runs, with Ricardo Santana, Jr. poised to send Souper Sensational on as they hit the Saratoga straight.

Gaffalione and Cilla stayed with her, the two fillies dueling in the race's final furlong. As they approached the wire, Cilla rallied past Souper Sensational in the race's final yards to a half-length lead at the finish. Li'l Tootsie was third.

Ricardo Santana, Jr. claimed foul after the race, citing interference by Cilla and Gaffalione in the stretch, but the stewards dismissed the foul, allowing the final results to become official.

The final time for the six furlongs was 1:10.05 over a fast track. Find this race's chart here.

Cilla paid $23.40, $6.20, and $3.40. Souper Sensational paid $2.50 and $2.10. Li'l Tootsie paid $3.50.

“She's fast and she's a 3-year-old. There's limited opportunities for those fillies. We felt like after we got her on track a couple of races ago and that we were going to let her step along and buy her way to the next one. She's obviously bought her way to this one.” Brett Brinkman said after the Prioress.

“As soon as Ricardo [Santana, Jr., aboard Souper Sensational] put a head in front of me, I asked her and she surged back to them, so I was confident that we were going to be able to come back to them. I was confident that we were able to get back,” Gaffalione told the NYRA Press Office after the race. “She fought gamely and all the credit goes to the connections for having her ready.”

Bred in Louisiana by Brett A. Brinkman and P. Dale Ladner, the 3-year-old filly is by California Chrome out of the Into Mischief mare Sittin At the Bar, a black-type stakes winner in Louisiana. Owned by P. Dale Ladner, Cilla is trained by Charlton Baker. The Grade 2 Prioress is the filly's fourth win in six starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of five wins in ten starts.

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Souper Sensational Returns To The Spa For Prioress

Live Oak Plantation's graded stakes-winner Souper Sensational will look to build on a strong runner-up effort in a stakes sprint at Saratoga Race Course with a return engagement at the summer meet, headlining a six-horse field of 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Prioress contested at six furlongs at the Spa.

The 74th running of the Prioress, slated as Race 5 on the 12-race card, will be part of a packed day that includes the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold up for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/4 miles in a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar; the Grade 1, $600,000 Flower Bowl for older fillies and mares going 1 3/8 miles on the turf [“Win and You're In” for Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Saranac for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. First post will be 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

Souper Sensational notched her first graded stakes win with a 3 1/4-length score in the Grade 3 Victory Ride on July 10 at Belmont. Making her Saratoga debut, Souper Sensational stalked the pace before running second to Bella Sofia in the Grade 1 Longines Test contested at seven furlongs on August 7 over a fast track.

Returning three weeks later and shortened up in distance, the daughter of Hall of Famer Curlin will again team with jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr., drawing the outermost post.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said Souper Sensational, a $725,000 purchase at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Sale, has been training forwardly at Saratoga since the Test, including a four-furlong breeze in 47.88 seconds on August 25 over the main track.

“She's doing well. She's a nice horse,” Casse said. “We've been proud of her efforts. She came out of the Test well and is doing everything right.”

Holly Hill Stables' Edie Meeny Miny Mo handled the step up in class last out, running second to Leader of the Band in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on July 31.

Unraced as a juvenile, the Miguel Vera trainee dominated in her first two career starts at Monmouth, posting a 4 1/4-length debut win on April 23 at six furlongs before besting optional claimers going the same distance on June 13.

After making a strong account of herself against steeper competition, the Upstart filly will make her Saratoga debut with Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza, who rode her in the Monmouth Oaks, back in the irons from post 2.

“She's going to get to the race in perfect condition. I'm very happy with the way she's training,” Vera said. “I'm excited to see her run in New York. The last race, I was happy with how she ran. She didn't break sharp enough but then she did everything right. I'd be more confident if she can sit behind the speed, like we had planned it for that race, but there was no speed in there, so she had to go on the lead. I still think she did awesome for the first time in a graded stakes and going two turns.”

Edie Meeny Mino Mo was a $400,000 purchase at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Vera said returning to sprinting could also be a positive for his horse, who will add blinkers.

“I think she can be a good distance horse, but I she needs a little more experience,” Vera said.

D.J. Stable's Amendment Nineteen will elevate to stakes company for the first time after sandwiching a victory around runner-up efforts in her first three starts for reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. The Constitution filly ran second in her debut in April sprinting six furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack and posted a maiden-breaking two-length score stretched out to a one-turn mile over a sloppy and sealed Belmont track on May 30.

After running second in a seven-furlong allowance sprint on July 24 at Saratoga, Amendment Nineteen will return to the same track, exiting post 5 with Jose Ortiz drawing the assignment.

Tee-N-Jay Farm's Oxana won her last two starts at Parx in dominating fashion and she makes her first stakes start. Trained by Timothy Hills, the Pennsylvania-bred Oxana ran a dull seventh on turf in her debut in June at Monmouth but has thrived since moving to dirt, drawing away for an 18-length score against a seven-horse field of fellow state breds going 6 1/2 furlongs on June 23. Oxana then posted another double-digit length win [10 1/4] competing at six furlongs against older, open company last out on July 20.

The daughter of Uptowncharlybrown will pick up the services of jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. from the inside post.

Joel Politi's Li'l Tootsie made her turf debut last out in the Galway, running ninth on August 15 at Saratoga, but will return to the main track for the Prioress. Trainer Tom Amoss tried the Tapiture filly on the grass for the first time after a ninth-place finish in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks in July and will see if she can show the form displayed when she started her sophomore campaign 2-for-2 with both wins at Fair Grounds.

Dylan Davis will have the call from post 3.

P.D. Ladner's Cilla enters her first Saratoga appearance off back-to-back stakes wins as she makes her first start for trainer Charlton Baker after previously being trained by Brett Brinkman. Cilla won the Louisiana Legends Mademoiselle in June at Evangeline before capturing the off-the-turf Blue Sparkler on July 10 at Monmouth Park.

Cilla, 4-0-2 in nine career starts, will have Tyler Gaffalione in the irons from post 4.

Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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