It is hard to look past Waggley in the $225,000 Sanford Stakes (G3) on Saturday at Saratoga.
She drew the rail, making her the first horse you see when reviewing the past performances. That’s not all that catches the eye. Waggley is the lone filly in the nine-horse field of 2-year-olds going 6 furlongs.
Trainer Wesley Ward is demonstrating supreme confidence by running in this spot, when Waggley could have entered Friday's Saratoga Schuylerville against the girls.
But then, Ward often cuts against the grain with great success. Ward, a former Eclipse Award-winning jockey, was the first American trainer to win a race at Royal Ascot when Strike the Tiger captured the Windsor Castle at 33-1. He is never shy to take a big swing, even when the odds are stacked against him.
At 6-1 on the morning line, Waggley is a value play in the Sanford. She has already won twice in a field where seven rivals show only maiden wins on their resumes. Jack’s Golden Goal, the other runner, is looking for his first victory.
After debuting successfully at Keeneland in April, Waggley stepped up to beat the boys in the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes at Churchill Downs. Granted, it was only a three-horse race, but she handled the competition and a sloppy track with a game effort.
Ward is a master at developing 2-year-olds and having them ready to shine early in their careers. And the numbers tell the tale. Ward has won with 30% of his last 123 juvenile starters. That’s pretty fancy shooting!
Another interesting runner in this spot is Pocket Listing (the second choice at 9-2), trained by Doug O’Neill.
Pocket Listing easily won his debut against California-breds at Santa Anita last month.
“He was training really well, and the debut was definitely electrifying,” O’Neill said.
It’s easy to get excited by an 8 ½-length victory, but the placement here is interesting. O’Neill obviously feels the colt is sitting on another big effort and needs to run. Otherwise, it would make more sense to wait for Del Mar and avoid a cross-country trip.
Booked, the 3-1 favorite, has an important edge on the competition: a win over the track. He posted his maiden win during the Belmont Stakes Festival here last month, ringing up a sharp speed figure in the process.
Ashcroft Lane, the 5-1 third choice, easily captured his debut at Aqueduct, pulling clear to a 5 1/2 length win in the slop after the race was rained off the turf.
“Shipping over to Aqueduct for the first time out, you never know until they do it in the afternoon. He put it all together quite easily and showed us in the afternoon what he had shown in the morning,” trainer Robert Falcone, Jr. said. “He's very quick from the gate. He's a quick, light-footed horse and gets over the ground well. Exactly what you want with a horse on debut like that.”
These early juvenile races are often wide-open scrambles to get the lead. Ashcroft Lane figures to be prominent in that battle. However, the race doesn’t always go to the swiftest out of the gate. Which is why we go back to the top of the program to the stakes-tested Waggley, who should be in an ideal spot to pick up the pieces after sitting behind the early duel.
Post time for the Sanford, race 5, 2:54 p.m. ET
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
