SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - After going postward at odds of 45-1 and 44-1 in her two previous victories, The Queens M G finally got the respect she deserved from the bettors Sunday at Saratoga in the $300,000 Adirondack Stakes. She rewarded supporters who backed her to 5-2 second choice with a one-sided 9-length victory over the 8-5 favorite Italian Soiree in the Grade 3 race for 2-year-old fillies.
The Queens M G paid $92.74 in winning her career debut for trainer Israel Acevedo this spring at Keeneland, after which she was purchased privately by the partnership of C Two Racing Stable and Mathis Stable and turned over to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
Following an eventful trip and very disappointing seventh-place finish as the 2-1 favorite in the Astoria here in June, the daughter of Thousand Words rebounded with a stunning and relatively easy 2 3/4-length triumph in the Schuylerville, returning $91.00 to win, in the first of three major stakes for juvenile fillies decided each summer at Saratoga.
Joseph opted to strike while the iron was hot with The Queens M G, bringing her back on relatively short rest, just three weeks, in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack. With Dylan Davis, who rode her for the first time in the Schuylerville, back aboard, The Queens M G broke alertly and took up a striking position just off the early pace set by Anakarina and forced from the outset by Dare to Breeze. The Queens M G moved readily to overtake the leaders after coming five wide off the turn, drew well clear in the blink of an eye then steadily increased her advantage while kept under vigorous urging to the end.
Italian Soiree, an impressive 5 1/4-length maiden winner in her only previous start, raced in mid-pack while never far back, tipped four wide into the stretch and finished willingly to easily be second-best while never menacing the winner. It was another three lengths back to Atomic City, who checked-in a distant third.
The Queens M G paid a mere $7.20 for her third win in four starts after completing the distance over a fast track in 1:17.83 seconds.
“She wasn’t 40-1, so the pressure was on,” said Joseph, with a laugh, in the winner’s circle after the race. “I thought today we were really going to see if we had a legit horse or not. Last time she only had one work, she really wasn’t supposed to win, and it was a big shock that she won coming off such a bad race. Today, coming back in three weeks, she was as fit as she could get. In the paddock she got a little warm before I put the saddle on, I was a little concerned. But once I put the saddle on she went to sleep and I felt really good.”
Joseph admitted the final margin of victory surprised him.
“You come into the race just hoping to get back-to-back wins and get through it,” Joseph said. “This was the first time she had to sit a little bit and she showed a new dimension sitting off a couple of horses. Today was her best race by far.”
Joseph said the decision to bring The Queens M G back in just three weeks for the Adirondack was an easy one.
“After the last race, it was always to carry forward to this stakes, why are we going to let them catch up? We’re ahead right now,” Joseph explained. “ And we’re going to take the same approach for the Spinaway. Now we’ve distanced ourselves more. Something new is going to have to beat us, or we’re going to have to regress quite a bit. If she checks out well, we’ll continue on through the series.”
The Grade 1 Spinaway will be decided at seven furlongs here on August 31.
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