Prior to a blockbuster card of top-level action on Travers day, Saratoga Race Course will be serving up a stakes appetizer in the Waya Stakes (G3T) Aug. 28. Nine fillies and mares are entered for the $225,000 event and, with four horses between 7-2 and 5-1 on the morning line, it promises to be a wide-open event.
The 1 3/8-mile distance is one that several in this field have exceled over in the past, and a return to that distance could prove beneficial whether they are cutting back, stretching out, or staying the same from their prior start.
Stuart Janney III homebred Silvology, the 7-2 favorite, aims for more of the same after winning a 1 3/8-mile Saratoga allowance optional claimer July 19. She's been a consistent top runner when competing around three turns, going 3-1-1 in five starts at either 1 3/8 or 1 1/2 miles. She shook off the rust from a 13-month layoff running fifth over 1 1/16 miles in June at Aqueduct Racetrack before immediately returning to the winner's circle when stretching back out. Hall of Fame rider Javier Castellano rides for the first time.
Another who flourished as the distances got longer was Repole Stable's Whitethorn. The 4-year-old daughter of Not This Time took seven tries to break her maiden, swapping between dirt and turf while picking up five runner-up finishes. However, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher got everything to click for her July 26 when stretching out to 1 3/8 miles on the lawn, turning a 14 1/2-length deficit into a 4 1/4-length victory when rallying from off the pace. That start was also her first wearing blinkers.
EGL-One Racing's Storm Miami is one that could appreciate the cutback. On paper, she appears to be the clear expected pacesetter with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the saddle for Amelia Green. The 5-year-old Blue Point mare has been on the lead in her last three starts and nearly pulled off a 19-1 upset in the Aug. 2 Glens Falls Stakes (G2T) going 1 1/2 miles had it not been for a devastating stretch kick by Survie.
That form was flattered Aug. 15 when Survie returned from just 13 days' rest to defeat males in the Christophe Clement Turf Stakes (G1T), making Storm Miami's brave runner-up finish look even better.
Shadwell Stable's Massarat also returns from a fourth-place effort in that spot, having won her prior race at 1 3/8 miles against allowance foes. Miller Racing's graded stakes winner Venencia aims to rebound off her eighth-place finish in the Glens Falls for Saffie Joseph Jr.
Entries: Waya S. (G3T)
Saratoga Race Course, Friday, August 28, 2026, Race 8
- Grade III
- 1 3/8m
- Inner turf
- $225,000
- 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
- 5:07 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1Evershed (IRE) | Flavien Prat | 124 | Arnaud Delacour | 5/1 |
| 2 | 2Snipsnippitysnip (KY) | Edgard J. Zayas | 124 | Brendan P. Walsh | 8/1 |
| 3 | 3Whitethorn (KY) | Luis Saez | 124 | Todd A. Pletcher | 10/1 |
| 4 | 4Massarat (KY) | Kendrick Carmouche | 124 | Brendan P. Walsh | 9/2 |
| 5 | 5Venencia (FR) | Micah J. Husbands | 126 | Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. | 12/1 |
| 6 | 6Storm Miami (IRE) | John R. Velazquez | 124 | Amelia J. Green | 4/1 |
| 7 | 7Awesomesauce (OH) | Jose L. Ortiz | 124 | Joe Sharp | 8/1 |
| 8 | 8Silvology (KY) | Javier Castellano | 124 | Claude R. McGaughey III | 7/2 |
| 9 | 9Unmerited Favor (KY) | Junior Alvarado | 124 | Kenneth G. McPeek | 8/1 |
