SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Approximately 30 minutes before they crown the latest winner of the Grade 1 Spinaway, the defending champion, Brightwork, will make her much anticipated and already once delayed 2024 debut in the $200,000 Prioress Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga. The six-furlong, Grade 3 Prioress lured a field of nine 3-year-old fillies that includes four other stakes winners and the very exciting prospect Two Sharp, who ran off the screen winning a maiden race here earlier this month.
Brightwork capped a four-race win streak to launch her career last season with a half-length victory over the odds-on Ways and Means in the 2023 Spinaway, adding that victory to an easy five-length triumph earlier in the meet in the Grade 3 Adirondack. Brightwork has started just twice since, finishing a tiring fifth in the Grade 1 Alcibiades and an even-running sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, both those races decided at 1 1/16 miles.
Brightwork went to the sidelines for the winter following her successful but somewhat grueling juvenile campaign, while also having a chip removed from her knee during her time off. She was pointed to a return in the Grade 1 Test here Aug. 3 and trained spectacularly up to the race only to fall in the paddock and sustain minor injuries that necessitated a late scratch for precautionary reasons.
“She was a little excited, things happen. It was a little unfortunate, but the state vets did the correct thing protecting the integrity of racing and my horse as well,” trainer John Ortiz explained. “She got a little road rash on her ankle, but other than that came out in great shape. It just wasn’t meant to be that day, but we’re very excited to run her this time.”
Brightwork has undergone extensive schooling in the paddock since the Test while also posting three works, including a bullet half-mile in 47.40 seconds on Aug. 18.
“She’s more than ready at this point, we took even more precaution to school her for this start, although she’s just such an athlete we don’t have to do much but just get her to the track,” Ortiz added. “I don’t think running her six furlongs on Saturday makes any difference. I was so confident in her that she’d be ready to run seven coming off the layoff for the Test. She’s that caliber of filly. And I love her post, being drawn outside. She can either take the lead if she’s quick out of the gate or let the race set up. We’ll just see how it unfolds for her.”
Two Sharp turned in arguably the most impressive maiden win of the current session,running away to a very popular, 11 1/4-length victory going 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 2 for which she earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure. The daughter of Twirling Candy had finished a game but troubled second following a poor start in her debut five weeks earlier at Churchill Downs.
“I hope I’m not wrong, but she gives you a tremendous amount of confidence and while you don’t want to get too high on them before they prove themselves, I feel she’s a very special talent. I think her maiden-breaking win was proof of that,” trainer Phil Bauer said. “I feel if she can run that race back she will be pretty tough in this race. She’s 7-5 [on the morning line] for a reason based on her last start.”
Bauer said he wasn’t too concerned about moving his relatively inexperienced filly into graded stakes company off her maiden win.
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“We’re thinking bigger and better things down the road, and this came up a winnable race for a Grade 3,” Bauer explained. “The spacing of it and where it fell amongst the other races in the country made it the right spot.”
Bauer also said he feels his filly might even be a little better from the experience coming out of her last start. That’s a scary thought for her competition on Saturday.
“I wouldn’t see why she shouldn’t, if anything, be a little sharper for this one. Her last two breezes have been great,” Bauer said. “It just comes so easy to her.”
Miuccia, Tricky Temper, Carmelina, and Belle’s Blue Bell all come into the race with stakes wins on their résumés over the last several months. Tricky Temper earned a 91 Beyer Figure for her three-length victory against New York-breds here Aug. 16; Miuccia got a 90 for a similarly easy tally in the Game Face on June 1 at Gulfstream Park.
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