Zany is the joker in the deck for handicappers analyzing the two major stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday.
Trainer Todd Pletcher entered Zany in both the $500,000 Coach Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga and the $150,000 Monmouth Oaks (G3) at Monmouth Park. Where she lands will have a major impact on that race.
There’s obviously more money and prestige on the line in the CCAO. On the other hand, the Monmouth Oaks might be the better option for a filly who has not been to the races since running sixth as the 5-1 favorite in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Zany certainly fits on class in either race. The winner of the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) at 2, Zany kicked off 2026 with a win in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs before running a solid second in the Ashland Stakes (G1).
Then came the Kentucky Oaks, and nothing since.
Let’s take a look at Saturday’s two stakes and see where Zany, who will be equipped with blinkers for the first time, fits best.
As stated earlier, the CCOA is the more demanding test with a field that includes a pair of Grade 1 winners: Always a Runner and Counting Stars.
Always a Runner will be a solid favorite (9-5 on the morning line), with or without Zany in the lineup. One of two Chad Brown trainees in the field along with Directive (6-1), Always a Runner has three wins and a second in her four career starts.
Following a dominant maiden win at Tampa Bay Downs in February, Always a Runner headed north to win the Gazelle Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct. That victory propelled her to the Kentucky Oaks, where she rallied from well off the pace to score the win.
Based on the Kentucky Oaks victory, Always a Runner was the well-backed 4-5 favorite most recently, where she suffered her lone career defeat to Counting Stars in the Acorn Stakes (G1) last month.
Counting Stars (2-1) poses the main threat again. She is on a solid role for trainer Mark Casse. Prior to the Acorn win, Counting Stars was third in the Kentucky Oaks as the follow-up to her 5 ½ length win in the Fantasy Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park.
As for Zany, it would be hard to make a case for her in this spot considering the lengthy layoff, her lackluster showing in the Kentucky Oaks and the quality of the competition.
Post time for the Coaching Club American Oaks is 5:45 p.m. ET.
So, let’s line up our CCAO this way:
Down at Monmouth on the Jersey Shore, Zany would be the obvious choice.
Zany towers over the competition with her clear back class. The lack of race fitness is less of an issue in this spot. Zany can be 80-to-90% race fit and still win here.
Her main Monmouth competition is My Miss Mo for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. She delivered a tough, grinding victory most recently in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Laurel.
Point of Reference, part of Brown’s Monmouth contingent, has a home-field advantage following a rallying second in the Monomoy Girl Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Post time for the Monmouth Oaks is 4:08 p.m. ET.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | M/L | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Counting Stars | I Ortiz, Jr. | M E Casse | - | 2-1 |
| 2 | Dandona | T Gaffalione | S A Joseph, Jr. | - | 20-1 |
| 3 | La Rascasse | A Concepcion | W Walden | - | 8-1 |
| 4 | Miss Fulton Gal | J Rodriguez | M E Gorham | - | 30-1 |
| 5 | Measure | M Franco | M E Casse | - | 15-1 |
| 6 | Always a Runner | J L Ortiz | C C Brown | - | 9-5 |
| 7 | Directive | F Prat | C C Brown | - | 6-1 |
| 8 | Zany | J R Velazquez | T A Pletcher | - | 9-2 |
| 9 | Nycon | L Saez | D Beckman | - | 30-1 |
Last Updated on 07/22/2026
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