Rising Stars Face Off in Alcibiades

A trio of ‘TDN Rising Stars,’ including unbeaten Thoughtfully (Tapit), will square off in Friday’s GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland, a ‘Win and You’re In’ for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

The rail-drawn Thoughtfully, tabbed as a ‘Rising Star’ out of a blowout debut win for Steve Asmussen at Churchill Downs June 11, made good on the promise with a sparkling performance in Saratoga’s GII Adirondack S. Aug. 12. The $950,000 FTSAUG graduate tries two turns for the first time here.

Drawn one to her outside is fellow ‘Rising Star’ Travel Column (Frosted), herself a flashy debut winner going six furlongs on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard Sept. 4. Brad Cox trains the $850,000 FTSAUG yearling.

Crazy Beautiful (Liam’s Map) posted a ‘Rising Star’ performance at second asking in the Runhappy Debutante S. at Ellis Aug. 9. She was second as the favorite with a troubled trip in the one-turn mile GIII Pocahontas S. last time Sept. 3.

Trainer Ken McPeek will also saddle the two-for-two, rained-off P. G. Johnson S. heroine Simply Ravishing (Laoban) and grassy Mint Juvenile Fillies S. third Oliviaofthedesert (Bernardini).

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Undefeated Thoughtfully Chasing Breeders’ Cup Berth In Friday’s Alcibiades

Heider Family Stables' undefeated Thoughtfully headlines a field of seven 2-year-old fillies entered Tuesday for Friday's 69th running of the $350,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1) going 1 1/16 miles on the main track at Keeneland.

The Darley Alcibiades is one of 10 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races in the coming days at Keeneland that will award the winners fees-paid berths into their respective World Championship races. The Darley Alcibiades winner gets a free pass into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to be run here Nov. 6.

The Darley Alcibiades will go as the ninth race on Friday's 10-race opening day program for the Fall Meet that runs 17 days through Oct. 24. First post time is 1:05 p.m. ET with the Darley Alcibiades going at 5:40 p.m.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Thoughtfully debuted June 11 at Churchill Downs and romped to an 8 ¾-length score going 5 ½ furlongs. A month later at Saratoga, the Tapit filly scored a 5-length victory in the Adirondack (G2) going 6½ furlongs.

Ricardo Santana Jr., who has been aboard for both victories, has the call Friday and will break from post position one.

Likely to vie for favoritism with Thoughtfully is Phoenix Thoroughbred's Crazy Beautiful.

Trained by four-time Darley Alcibiades winner Kenny McPeek, Crazy Beautiful won the Aug. 9 Runhappy Debutante at Ellis Park before running a troubled second as the favorite in the Sept. 3 Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs. Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount and will break from post position four.

McPeek will have two other starters in the race: Susan Moulton's Oliviaofthedesert and Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' Simply Ravishing.

Oliviaofthedesert has three starts won her lone race on dirt by 5½ lengths at Ellis in August. She will be ridden Friday by Corey Lanerie and break from post position three. Simply Ravishing is perfect in two starts and enters Friday's race off a daylight victory in the off-the-turf P.G. Johnson at Saratoga Sept. 3. Luis Saez has the mount and will exit post position seven.

The field for the Darley Alcibiades, with riders from the rail out, is: Thoughtfully (Santana Jr.), Travel Column (Florent Geroux), Oliviaofthedesert (Lanerie), Crazy Beautiful (Hernandez Jr.), Xtrema (James Graham), Gramercy (Joel Rosario) and Simply Ravishing (Saez). All starters will carry 122 pounds.

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Pletcher Sends Out Lucifer’s Lair In Quest Of Sixth Victory In Adirondack

Impressive debut winners Ava's Grace and Lucifer's Lair along with Make Mischief, runner-up in the Grade 3 Schuylerville on Opening Day, headline a compact but competitive field of six for Wednesday's 104th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Adirondack for 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack is the second in Saratoga's series of three races for juvenile fillies, following the six-furlong Schuylerville on July 16 and preceding the Grade 1, $250,000 Spinaway at seven furlongs on September 6.

Trainer Todd Pletcher is a five-time winner of the Adirondack, one fewer than his Hall of Fame mentor D. Wayne Lukas, most recently taking back-to-back editions in 2016-17 with Nonna Mela and Pure Silver, respectively.

Pletcher will be represented this year by The Elkstone Group's Maryland homebred Lucifer's Lair. The bay's sire, Quality Road, won the Grade 2 Amsterdam in 2009 and Grade 1 Woodward in 2010 at Saratoga, while the dam, Devil's Cave, also was a graded-stakes winner going long on the dirt.

Lucifer's Lair was unveiled on July 19 at the Spa, pressing a brisk pace going 5 ½ furlongs before forging a short lead entering the stretch and going on to win by three lengths in 1:05.33.

“She had trained like a filly that was capable of winning her debut. She's a pretty professional, straightforward sort so we were hoping for a good race,” Pletcher said. “She was early to come in and we had a good foundation into her, so we felt like we had her pretty fit going into that. By Quality Road, you would think that she would improve stretching out, as well.”

Lucifer's Lair tuned up for the Adirondack with a half-mile work in 49.49 seconds over Saratoga's main track on August 6. Meet-leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., aboard for her debut triumph, gets the return call from post 5.

“We were very pleased with her debut. She's been training good since then and had a nice breeze yesterday, so it seems like she's ready to go again,” Pletcher said. “Certainly it's going to be a tough race, but it's the logical next move.”

Southern Equine Stables' homebred Ava's Grace will be making her Saratoga debut in the Adirondack, exiting a come-from-behind half-length victory in 59.38 seconds for five furlongs on July 3 at Ellis Park.

The bay Laoban filly was then shipped to Saratoga where she shows three breezes over the main track, the most recent a five-furlong drill in 1:01.19 on August 4 for trainer Robertino Diodoro.

“We worked her the other day and she handled it impressively. To work five-eighths by herself as a 2-year-old, she's really developing into a nice filly,” Diodoro said. “It's going to be a big test for her, but she's doing everything right. What I like is she's doing everything right and her works have been a little better and a little better each time.

“I always say a big part of all these horses, but especially young horses, is the mental part,” he added. “Especially with fillies. She's about as smart as they come and as classy as they come. She's a very classy filly.”

Ava's Grace broke from the rail in her debut and rated in fifth before steadily making up ground to get within a neck of the lead at the top of the stretch under jockey David Cohen, who gets the assignment again from post 1.

“She wasn't as prepared a first-time starter as we usually have them. It was kind of a rush situation for a couple different reasons but she handled everything amazingly well, from the paddock to the gate,” Diodoro said. “A lot of times when you do stuff like that with a filly you'll blow their mind, but it didn't even faze her. She's come back really well and shipped up here well. We've had her up to the gate, we've had her in the paddock. She acts like a nice, late 3-year-old filly. She's just very professional.”

Diodoro said her poise may come from the sire. Also campaigned by Southern Equine with McCormick Racing, Laoban ran third in the Grade 3 Sham and second in the Grade 3 Gotham in 2016, not breaking his maiden until later that summer in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga, following off-the-board efforts in the Grade 1 Blue Grass and Grade 1 Preakness.

“We've got a couple more Laobans down at Ellis and they're all the same way. They're just very professional, they're good-looking horses and very smart horses. I know it's a new sire, but it could be a little trademark coming here,” Diodoro said. “A friend of mine has got one at Prairie Meadows and without me even saying anything, he started telling me about this Laoban he's got. He said the same thing, he acts like a nice 3-year-old.”

Diodoro said he will leave the decision up to Cohen but expects Ava's Grace to be among the top flight in the Adirondack.

“I think she could be closer. She broke out of the one hole last time. She's had a little more gate experience now. I think she'll be forwardly placed, very forwardly placed. It's going to be interesting. It's always neat with these young horses, to watch them develop,” Diodoro said. “She's a good-sized filly. She'll grow a little more in height but, to be honest, I think she's the perfect size. She's just put together nice.”

Trainer Mark Casse won last year's Adirondack with Perfect Alibi, and he'll attempt to defend his title with Gary Barber's Make Mischief. The daughter of Into Mischief, debuted with a five-furlong maiden special weight victory on June 18 at Belmont Park, then set the pace in the Schuylerville for a half-mile before giving way to finish second behind Dayoutoftheoffice.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez and Make Mischief will break from post 2.

Heider Family Stables' Thoughtfully first made headlines last summer at Saratoga by fetching $950,000 at Fasig-Tipton's Selected Yearling Sale, then ran to her price tag in debut, an 8 ¾-length maiden special weight romp on June 11 at Churchill Downs for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, a two-time Adirondack winner. She has breezed five times at Saratoga including a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.91 on August 3.

Up on the Tapit filly in debut, Ricardo Santana, Jr. rides back from post 4.

AVQ Racing's Lilac Lace will try the dirt after graduating at first asking in a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint on July 12 at Keeneland. Trainer Anthony Quartorolo enlisted Hall of Famer Javier Castellano to ride from post 3.

Completing the field is Michael J. Ryan's Beautiful Farewell, winless in two starts including a fifth, beaten 2 ½ lengths, in a six-furlong maiden special weight on August 2 at Saratoga. Joel Rosario climbs aboard for the first time from outside post 6.

The Adirondack is slated as Race 9 on Wednesday's 10-race card, which offers a first post of 12:50 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Heider’s Pricey Spur-Of-The-Moment Buy Eyes Opening Day Schuylerville At Saratoga

When owner Scott Heider of Heider Family Stables attended the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale in upstate New York last August, he was strictly there to sell a Curlin colt, but a certain Tapit filly at the Gainesway consignment barn was just too enticing to pass up.

That filly, Thoughtfully, is a top contender for the Grade 3, $100,000 Schuylerville on July 16, Opening Day at Saratoga Race Course.

She showcased a strong display of talent in career debut on June 11 at Churchill Downs winning by 8 ¾ lengths for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. In the 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight over the main track, Thoughtfully broke sharply under Ricardo Santana, Jr. but allowed two runners to her inside to dictate the early pace. By the quarter pole, Thoughtfully was in command and all it took was a few shakes of the reins by Santana for her to draw off in style.

The promising dark bay filly was hammered down for $950,000 at the yearling sale and could prove to be well worth the investment.

“I was up there selling a Curlin colt out of [Grade 1 winner] Taris and that's all I was there for. I had no intention of buying anything,” Heider said. “[Bloodstock agent] Donato Lanni reached out to me and told me there was a filly that I should look at. That Monday afternoon, I texted Steve and asked him to look at her for me and later that day he said 'I've seen the filly. She is special'. When she walked into the sales ring, I was sitting next to John Sikura [of Hill n Dale Farm] and just stepped on the gas.”

The pressure of buying a horse for such a large sum of money was relieved when Thoughtfully won so emphatically on debut.

“There are not a lot of Tapit fillies that are ready to go as early as June,” Heider said. “She has a great mind and is really classy. She got mentally ready very early. When she won like that Steve called me up and my response was, 'That's what a good Asmussen filly looks like'.”

Heider praised Asmussen for his ability to condition progeny of Tapit, who are sometimes known for being hard to handle.

“The Tapits can be complicated and tough to handle but Steve knows how to work with them,” Heider said. “If you ask Steve or the help around the barn about the filly they would smile and say that she doesn't act like a typical Tapit. She's very sweet. After the race, before she went into the winner's circle, she just kind of stood there and stared at the big screen. It was pretty neat because Ricardo was just letting her do it. She had to have stood there for about 15 seconds.”

Thoughtfully, bred in Kentucky by Gainesway, is the seventh progeny out of the Seeking the Gold broodmare Pension who has produced all winners including graded stakes winner Annual Report and dual turf stakes winner Giant Payday. Her granddam is Grade 1-winner Furlough and she comes from the same family as champions Heavenly Prize and Dancing Spree as well as Grade 1 winners Dancing Forever, Fantastic Find and Finder's Fee.

As far as the Curlin colt Heider sold? He is named King Fury, and was bought by Kenny McPeek for $950,000, which is exactly what Heider paid for Thoughtfully.

“The irony was that we paid the same amount for the filly that we sold the colt for,” said Heider.

Heider could be getting off to a rocket start to the Saratoga meet as he also will have Please Flatter Me entered in the $85,000 Shine Again on July 17.

The Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Munnings made her 4-year-old debut finishing a distant second to Grade 1-winner Guarana in a seven-furlong Churchill Downs allowance race. This was her first start since finishing seventh to eventual Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Covfefe in the Grade 1 Test last August at Saratoga.

“Hopefully we have a nice weekend,” Heider said. “We brought her back after the winter and she chased Guarana around. Her only bad effort was in the Test. She got really nervous in the paddock that day and was all washed out. All the people there made her a little on edge and mentally she wasn't right. Her race was pretty much over in the paddock.”

A winner of four of eight career starts, Please Flatter Me is a three-time stakes winner on the Mid-Atlantic circuit where she was previously conditioned by Mark Reid. She acquired graded stakes black type when finishing second to Covfefe in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness last May at Pimlico.

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