A race like the Spinaway Stakes (G1) can reveal a great deal about the future for a collection of 2-year-old fillies.
It can also serve as a review of what happened within the division at the 40-day Saratoga Race Course summer meet.
In the Aug. 30 renewal of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In stakes for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), it once again showcases the star of the division's stakes at the meet, Arindel's undefeated, 3-for-3 Mythical.
A winner of the Tremont Stakes against the boys in June at the Spa, the homebred daughter of St Patrick's Day captured the Aug. 3 Adirondack Stakes (G3) at the summer meet by 3 1/4 lengths.
"It's special to have a horse to be good enough to go to Saratoga and compete in these kind of races. We're just trying to embrace the moment," trainer Jorge Delgado said about the Florida-bred filly out of the Brethren mare Lailoni.
The field of 10 for the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race also includes some of the meet's most promising maiden winners, topped by Spendthrift Farm's homebred Tommy Jo.
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Into Mischief filly posted an impressive July 26 debut win at the Spa, scoring by 3 3/4 lengths after she was bumped at the start.
"She's a very talented filly who trained very professionally for her debut," Pletcher said about the filly out of the Pioneerof the Nile mare Mother Mother. "I thought she ran a big race and came back with a couple of very good breezes. We're very pleased with everything she has done so far and we're excited about her future."
The seven-furlong Spinaway will mark the first time each of the starters have raced that far, serving as a steppingstone to longer, more important two-turn tests such as the Juvenile Fillies.
"We feel Tommy Jo has the kind of talent to be successful at longer distances," said Pletcher, who also entered Steer Clear but will likely run her in an Aug. 29 maiden race. "It's always a concern when you're making your second start in a grade 1 stakes with some horses that have more experience, but she seems talented enough to overcome that."
Trainer Chad Brown will send out Amo Racing USA and Memo America's Ornellaia, an Aug. 2 debut winner who rallied from 10th to win a six-furlong sprint by 2 1/4 lengths.
A daughter of Girvin , she was bred by Twin Oaks Bloodstock out of the Broken Vow mare Scarlet Dixie.
She was bought by her connections for $1.1 million from the Wavertree Stables consignment at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale after working in :10 1/5.
Elements Racing's Meringue will tackle Mythical again after rallying from fifth to finish second in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack. The daughter of Frosted is trained by Rodolphe Brisset.
Shipping in from Kentucky is Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar, who triumphed in Churchill Downs' Debutante Stakes by five lengths. Trained by Ben Colebrook, the Upstart 2-year-old is 2-for-2, winning her two starts by a combined nine lengths.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 30, 2025, Race 11Entries: Spinaway S. (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Ornellaia (KY) Dylan Davis 122 Chad C. Brown 9/2 2 2Meringue (KY) Luis R. Rivera, Jr. 122 Rodolphe Brisset 10/1 3 3Rileytole (KY) Reylu Gutierrez 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 30/1 4 4Mythical (FL) Emisael Jaramillo 122 Jorge Delgado 5/2 5 5Percy's Bar (KY) Luan Machado 122 Ben Colebrook 6/1 6 6Sina (KY) Jaime Rodriguez 122 Brett A. Brinkman 15/1 7 7Steer Clear (KY) Jose Lezcano 122 Todd A. Pletcher 12/1 8 8Tommy Jo (KY) Kendrick Carmouche 122 Todd A. Pletcher 2/1 9 9Spirit Doll (KY) Edgard J. Zayas 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 15/1 10 10Day to Day (VA) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 30/1
