GRENING: Saratoga 2yo's

[Kasept]

As always, Saratoga will be a hotbed of juvenile activity
David Grening | Jul 07, 2025

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mark Casse enjoyed his best Saratoga ever in 2024, fueled primarily by his 2-year-old crop that accounted for nine of his 15 victories at the meet.

Casse’s nine juvenile wins were second only to Chad Brown’s 10 at the 2024 meet, and those two trainers are likely to figure prominently again this summer at a meet that officially begins Thursday.

Though Casse could only manage second-place finishes in the July 4 Schuylerville with My Sweetheart and the July 5 Sanford with Blinging It Back, the good news is there are other races for them up here. My Sweetheart, who won her debut on turf, could return to that surface while Blinging It Back is still maiden.

Casse did showcase the 2-year-old Ewing, a son of Knicks Go, who won his debut Saturday by 12 lengths and is a candidate for either the Saratoga Special on Aug. 2 or, more likely, the Grade 1 Hopeful on Sept. 1.

Casse fancies himself a better second-time-out than first-out trainer. Last summer, he won with just two first-timers at Saratoga. Some second-time starting maidens to look for include Curtain Call, entered for Saturday, and Delightful Darling, the latter an also-eligible in Thursday’s sixth race.

Orbit, who debuts Friday in a salty-looking one-mile maiden race, Charlottesuniverse, and Our Magical Moon are 2-year-olds Casse plans to debut up here.

Chad Brown

Brown led all trainers at the 2024 Saratoga meet with 10 winners from 37 starters, including seven who won first time out. Brown appears loaded once again.

Among the colts he hopes to debut are Accost, by Maclean’s Music out of the New York-bred stakes winner More Mischief; Arraigned (by Into Mischief); Capital Partner (Kingman); Criteria (Yaupon); Emerging Market (Candy Ride), from the family of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner She Be Wild; Senior Lender (Volatile); Zatopek (Nyquist); and an unnamed colt by Curlin out of Cherry Lodge, a dam who is related to three stakes winners, including the Grade 1-winning 2-year-old Stormello.

Among the fillies Brown plans to debut are Cognition (Practical Joke); Data Capture (Nyquist), from the family of Grade 1 winners Sightseek and Tates Creek; Red Violet (Justify), a half-sister to five winners, including Rubilinda; an unnamed Not This Time out of Rubilinda; Memorized, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Zandon by Tapit; and Perm, a daughter of Frankel by Blowout, a Grade 1 winner.

Todd Pletcher

Todd Pletcher won seven 2-year-old races at the Spa in 2024, making it the 14th time in the last 16 summers that he’s won at least that many juvenile races here. Pletcher went 3 for 6 with 2-year-olds at Aqueduct, including wins by the colt Reside (Vino Rosso) on dirt and the filly Nonna’s Love (Caravaggio), a second-out winner on turf who is a half-sister to champion Fierceness.

Among those he expects to debut this summer are the colts Class President (Uncle Mo), Franklin Delano (Liam’s Map), Scope (Gun Runner), Emphasis (Yaupon), and Ted Noffey (Into Mischief).

His fillies include Fraudster (Charlatan); Tommy Jo (Into Mischief); an unnamed Not This Time filly out of Wild Silk, which makes her a half-sister to graded stakes winner Red Carpet Ready; and an unnamed filly by Uncle Mo out of Always Shopping.

Danny Gargan

Danny Gargan has nine 2-year-olds who brought at least $500,000 at auction. The New York-bred filly Iron Orchard (Authentic), a $500,000 2-year-old in training purchase, was a 5 1/2-length winner here on July 3 and is likely to run at least once more at this meet. An unnamed filly by Curlin out of the three-time graded stakes winner Embur’s Song could debut late in the meet. Immaculate Moon and So Vain, both less expensive yearlings by McKinzie, have trained well.

Among Gargan’s colts are Storming, an $850,000 son of Curlin; Talkin, a $600,000 son of Good Magic; Battle, a $500,000 son of Curlin; and Golden Tornado, a $475,000 son of McKinzie.

Shug McGaughey

Shug McGaughey went 2 for 10 with 2-year-olds at the Spa in 2024. Day One Starter (Upstart); If Ever (Not This Time), a half-brother to Schuylerville winner Just Cindy; Rules of the Road (Street Sense); and Quiet Power (Tapit) are some of the colts he expects to debut at the meet.

Keto Drink, a half-sister to Tremont winner Gold Sweep, is entered in a turf sprint on Thursday.

Linda Rice

Linda Rice went just 1 for 9 with 2-year-olds in 2024, but appears to have a stronger group this summer. Stream It is a $350,000 son of Tapit out of the Grade 2 winner River Maid. Blackwell Power (Maclean’s Music) is a sibling to six winners, including 16-time winner Amundson. Hot Currency, Princess Jane, and Run Wild are others Rice hopes to start this summer.

Miguel Clement

Coming off a down year in which the Clement stable went 1 for 15 with 2-year-olds at Saratoga, Miguel Clement hopes to improve upon those numbers this summer with the likes of Aporia (War Front), British Invasion (Lope de Vega), Caroline St. Beat (Tiz the Law), Hurricane Creek (Medaglia d’Oro), Teddy’s Rocket (Liam’s Map), and Prodigious, a half-brother to five-time graded winner Emmanuel.

Bill Mott

Bill Mott has won at least three 2-year-old races in six of the last seven Spa meets. His charges have been training mostly over the slow-playing Oklahoma training track, where it’s been tough to get a line on them.

Among his juvenile prospects this year are the fillies Asking (Lookin At Lucky), Chit Cat (City of Light), Curly Q Girl (Curlin), and Star Actress (Justify), a full sister to 2023 juvenile filly champion Just F Y I.

His colts include Robert Lee (Omaha Beach) and an unnamed Twirling Candy out of Frank’s Folly.

Jorge Abreu

Jorge Abreu is high on his 2-year-old crop, which is made up mostly of New York-breds. The group includes colts Ay Papi (Honest Mischief), a full brother to debut winner Oklahoma Smoke; Karsten (Mendelssohn), a half-brother to six winners, including three-time stakes winner Make Mischief; Moonlight Drive (Speightstown), a half-brother to four-time stakes winner Moonage Daydream; Pride of the Union (Union Rags); and the fillies Sacred Swagger (Charlatan) and Whiskey Flight (McKinzie).

Jeremiah Englehart

Jeremiah Englehart believes he has one of his better 2-year-old crops in a while. It is led by the colts Toga Twist (Omaha Beach), who won his debut narrowly here on Sunday; King Lucky (Tapwrit); and an unnamed Beau Liam colt out of the dam Tryingtolookpretty.

Englehart has fillies such as Spectacular Belle (Tiz the Law), Beau’s Bella (Beau’s Liam), and an unnamed filly by Bolt d’Oro out of Jetbird.

Amelia Green

Green, a former Pletcher assistant, sent out Nacho Problem and Devilish Grin to a one-two finish in a maiden turf sprint on June 29 at Aqueduct. She appears to have an ample supply of 2-year-olds, including the Mendelssohn colts Wazey’s Charm and Minorinconvenience.

She also has the fillies Fancy Footwork (Curlin), a half-sister to debut winner and Grade 3 winner Capensis; Two Bits (American Pharoah); Miss Apples (Liam’s Map); and Noisetomakenoise (Audible).

Rodolphe Brisset

Rodolphe Brisset, who won the Schuylerville Stakes here last Friday with Kingsolver, believes he has a solid group of 2-year-olds this summer. Brisset said Kingsolver may head to the turf next while the filly Meringue (Frosted), who won her debut on turf, may be switched to dirt, possibly for the Grade 3 Adirondack on Aug. 3.

Ginger Ale, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Search Results, and Vajra (Vekoma), fifth as the favorite in her debut at Churchill Downs, are other fillies in the barn.

Password, third as a maiden in the Bashford Manor, and Clocker Special (Not This Time) are colts who could run up here.

Wesley Ward

Ward has one of the most exciting juvenile prospects in the country in Outfielder, a 6 1/4-length turf debut winner at Churchill on May 23, who developed a minor shin issue following a June 10 workout that kept him out of a trip to Royal Ascot. That horse recently returned to the work tab at Keeneland and is possible to run here later in the meet.

Diblasi, a gelding by Win Win Win who won here on June 8 by 3 1/4 lengths is possible for the Saratoga Special.

Schwarzenegger (Not This Time) and Gun Range (Gun Runner), a half-brother to stakes winner Delahaye, are colts Ward is excited to debut here this meet.

Steve Asmussen

Obliteration is 2 for 2 after a blowout victory in the Grade 3 Sanford and is likely headed to the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.

Tagermeen, a half-brother to four winners; Soldier N Diplomat, a $950,000 son of Army Mule; Stradale, out of a dam who is a half to Grade 1 winner Stormy Lucy; and Exhibition are colts Asmussen plans to debut at the meet.