SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Future Is Now hopes to strike up memories of the past when he seeks a repeat victory in the Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes on Thursday at Saratoga.
The Intercontinental, at 5 1/2 furlongs on the outer turf course, drew a field of nine turf runners and one main-track-only entrant. It is one of four stakes on a 10-race card that begins at 12:40 p.m.
Last year, Future Is Now, trained by Michael Trombetta, won the Intercontinental at odds of 10-1 by a head over heavily favored Roses for Debra. This year, Future Is Now could be favored in a seemingly wide-open affair.
Future Is Now has won five of her last six starts, including a nose victory over Pandora’s Gift in the Grade 3 Giant’s Causeway Stakes on April 25 at Keenland. That was her seasonal debut.
Future Is Now basically dueled all the way around the course with Pandora’s Gift when the two horses lined up side by side in posts 5 and 6. On Thursday, Pandora’s Gift and Future Is Now are side by side again in posts 1 and 2, respectively.
Twirling Queen, who won 5 of 7 starts last year at age 3 including the Coronation Cup here, makes her 4-year-old debut in this spot for trainer Jose D’Angelo. She will meet a familiar foe in Kairyu, who finished second, three-quarters of a length behind Twirling Queen, in the Coronation Cup.
Also entered in the Intercontinental were On Command and Time to Dazzle, the one-two finishers from the License Fee Stakes at Aqueduct; Danse Macabre, third in the Giant’s Causeway; and Pipsy, who won the Soaring Softly Stakes here last year.
The Grade 3, $300,000 Poker Stakes drew an evenly-matched field of eight, plus two for the main track.
The 9-year-old Filo Di Arianna finished second, beaten a neck, in the 2023 Poker at Belmont Park. He has finished in the top three in 15 of 19 starts but was off the board in his two turf tries at Saratoga. He ended his 8-year-old season with a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.
Sherlock’s Jewel steps into stakes company off two allowance wins for Shug McGaughey, including one over Donegal Momentum, who won an allowance race here last summer, the first of three turf wins. Donegal Momentum was beaten a length when third in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.
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Also entered in the Poker were Intellect, third in a recent allowance; Cameo Performance, third in the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz; Major Dude; Mischievous Angel; and Depiction.
The filly Mythical, an 8 1/2-length debut winner April 17 at Gulfstream Park, was a supplemental entrant to the $150,000 Tremont Stakes for 2-year-olds where she will take on four males at five furlongs. Romeo, a 10 1/4-length debut winner at Laurel for John Robb, who won last year’s Tremont with Studlydoright; Mercilesanihilator, who won a Churchill maiden race; Blinging It Back, who was third to Mercilesanihilator; and Baytown Dreamer complete the field.
Sassy C W, a 5 1/4-length debut winner on April 30 at Churchill for trainer Larry Rivelli, heads a six-horse field entered in the $150,000 Astoria Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Vernon Valley, a debut winner at Aqueduct; Varinisi, a debut winner at Evangeline Downs; and maidens Gena B, Looks to Kill, and Ticket to Ride complete the field.
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