Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will give two of his previous grade 1 competitors class relief when Juddmonte's Accede and Klaravich Stables' Randomized seek their first stakes triumph July 14 in the second edition of the $135,000 Wilton Stakes. The restricted Wilton is one mile from the Wilson Chute for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course.
Both Accede and Randomized enter off unplaced efforts in the Acorn Stakes (G1) going a one-turn 1 1/16 miles June 9 at Belmont Park, finishing a respective fifth and sixth.
Accede broke from the outside of the eight-horse Acorn and bumped at the start with Goodgirl Badhabits, who rushed up to even terms with Accede down the backstretch. Accede attempted an inside move nearing upper stretch but ultimately faded. Randomized chased the pace between horses from sixth and retreated around the far turn.
Following a triumphant debut going six furlongs March 16 at Gulfstream Park, Accede earned black type with a third-place finish in the Eight Belles Stakes (G2) May 5 at Churchill Downs. There, she chased a dueling Red Carpet Ready and Munnys Gold in the stretch drive and finished 1 3/4 lengths behind the respective 1-2 finishers.
Accede is out of the dual surface graded stakes-winning Mizzen Mast mare Jibboom, who is a half sister to grade 2 winner Sea Defence.
"She got eliminated down the backside of the race," Brown said of the Acorn. "A horse got left at the start and rushed up to the outside of her. It just totally messed her race up, so it's one to draw a line through."
Prior to the Acorn, Randomized earned a career-best 106 Equibase Speed Figure when emerging from an eight-month layoff to break her maiden March 31 going a one-turn mile at Aqueduct Racetrack. The daughter of Nyquist made her debut when a distant third in a six-furlong maiden sprint last July at Saratoga.
Randomized is out of the Elusive Quality mare French Passport, who is a half sister to graded stakes winners Smooth Air and Overdriven. She was bought for $420,000 by Klaravich Stables at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Four Star Sales consignment.
"She never could make the lead, didn't fire and ran flat," Brown said.
Breaking from post 4, Accede will be ridden by Flavien Prat, while Randomized leaves from post 5 with Irad Ortiz Jr.
WSS Racing's Unsung Melody (post 2, Luis Saez) will make her stakes debut when stretching out past 6 1/2 furlongs for the first time for trainer John Ortiz. The Maclean's Music bay was a gate-to-wire winner at third asking going six furlongs at Oaklawn Park two starts back before defeating older winners at the same distance June 18 at Ellis Park.
Unsung Melody is out of the Bodemeister mare Narrow Sea. Her third dam Magical Flash produced Glinda the Good—the dam of 2017 champion 2-year-old male and leading second-crop sire Good Magic . She was bought for $65,000 as a weanling from the Garrencasey Sales consignment at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
Completing the five-horse field are Sacred Wish and Just Katherine.
The Wilton, which is restricted to 3-year-old fillies yet to win a stakes other than state-bred, is race 4 on Friday's 10-race program, which also features the $150,000 Coronation Cup Stakes in race 9.
Saratoga Race Course, Friday, July 14, 2023, Race 4Entries: Wilton S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Just Katherine (KY) Javier Castellano 120 Jose M. Jimenez 12/1 2 2Unsung Melody (KY) Luis Saez 122 John Alexander Ortiz 5/1 3 3Sacred Wish (KY) John R. Velazquez 120 George Weaver 7/2 4 4Accede (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Chad C. Brown 8/5 5 5Randomized (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Chad C. Brown 7/5
