Saratoga Picks | De La Rose Stakes 2024

Multiple graded stakes-winner Evvie Jets hopes to return to a familiar winner’s circle in Wednesday’s Listed $135,000 De La Rose – a one-mile inner turf test for older fillies and mares that have not won a graded sweepstake in 2024 – at Saratoga Race Course. 

The De La Rose is slated as Race 8 on Wednesday’s nine-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.  

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Trained by Mertkan Kantarmaci, the 6-year-old Twirling Candy bay looks to avenge a pair of off-the-board efforts in local Grade 1s, finishing seventh last-out in the nine-furlong Diana won by Whitebeam on July 13, after a close fourth in the one-mile Just a Game on June 7 here at Saratoga during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

In the Diana, Evvie Jets traveled in second position behind the victorious Whitebeam during the early stages. In the stretch, she was sandwiched between Gina Romantica and Didia, forcing rider Dylan Davis to take back as those rivals went on for third and fourth, respectively. 

“She didn’t make the lead and she had to sit a couple of lengths behind,” said Kantarmaci. “Then, in the stretch, she had to check a couple of times. She lost some ground because of that.” 

Kantarmaci is hopeful for a smoother trip over the Saratoga inner turf, where she rallied to post a 29-1 upset in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Ballston Spa last August. 

“I think this is her distance and it is the inner turf,” said Kantarmaci. “Everything is going good. I don’t think she likes too far of a break between races. She also hasn’t done too much this year, so she is not too tired to run in the race.” 

In her lone other start this year, Evvie Jets was a distant eighth in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile over good turf on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

While unsuccessful in her three graded attempts this year, Evvie Jets won the one-mile Grade 3 Noble Damsel in October 2022 at Belmont at the Big A. Last year, she also captured the Listed Perfect Sting in July at Belmont Park and the Listed Plenty of Grace in April at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Bred in Kentucky by Farfellow Farms, Evvie Jets, out of the Consolidator mare Natchez Trace, was haltered by her current connections for $80,000 out of a runner-up effort in September 2021 at Belmont. She now boasts a lifetime record of 26-7-6-3 with $810,768 in earnings.  

Flavien Prat will be aboard her return to Saratoga from post 9. 

Augustin Stables’ dual graded stakes-placed Kentucky homebred Mouffy [post 6, Frankie Dettori] looks to double up on stakes scores in the Empire State after winning the one-mile Listed Perfect Sting on July 4 at Belmont at the Big A. 

Trained by Jonathan Thomas, the 5-year-old Uncle Mo bay traveled over eight lengths back in last-of-5 early before closing strongly under returning rider Frankie Dettori to best returning foe Midnight Mile by a neck. 

“We were really pleased with her effort. We thought Frankie delivered a great ride,” said Thomas. “I think that all boiled down to pace dynamics. They went fast enough where she left herself a bit to do, but it was OK.”

In addition to the Independence Day fireworks, Mouffy was a back-to-back runner-up in one-mile graded events over good turf at Santa Anita Park, including the Grade 3 Megahertz in February and Grade 2 Buena Vista in March. 

The multiple graded stakes-placed Spirit And Glory [post 3, Jose Lezcano] looks to add a third stakes score on the year for trainer Rob Falcone, Jr. The Cotai Glory bay kicked off her 5-year-old campaign with a win in the 1 1/16-mile Albert M. Stall Memorial in February at Fair Grounds and wired the one-mile Listed Plenty of Grace in April at Aqueduct Racetrack.  

The Irish-bred Spirit And Glory enters from a pair of pacesetting thirds traveling 1 1/16 miles versus Grade 3 company, in the Beaugay in May at Belmont at the Big A and the Eatontown in June at Monmouth Park. In the Eatontown, she finished a neck back of the victorious Neecie Marie and a head back of Whitebeam for second. 

“I think if she had the right trip, she could probably pull out a graded stakes win. She sometimes gets unfortunate or unlucky trips, but lately, there’s been no excuses,” said Falcone, Jr. “She just lost to Whitebeam. They both flew around the track that day, and Whitebeam came back to win the Grade 1 here, so she probably could end up beating graded stakes competition.”

Spirit And Glory, out of the Invincible Spirit mare Supreme Spirit, made the first four starts of her 20-6-2-3 career in her native Ireland for trainer Michael Mulvany before capturing her stateside and Falcone, Jr.-debut in June 2022 at Belmont. She is campaigned by Michael Nentwig, Michael Dubb, Beast Mode Racing, John Rochfort, and Falcone, Jr.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., who has already captured 2 Saratoga stakes this meet – the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap with Spirit Wind and the Listed Schuylerville with The Queens M G – will send out two graded stakes-placed contenders in Sister Lou Ann [post 5, Tyler Gaffalione] and Be My Sunshine [post 8, Jose Ortiz]. Both are by Frosted and owned by Kenneth Ramsey, who bred the pair in Kentucky with his late wife Sarah Ramsey. 

Sister Lou Ann enters off an optional-claiming win at the distance on June 22 at Churchill. The 5-year-old dark bay rallied from last-of-5 under Tyler Gaffalione en route to a head victory over multiple stakes-placed For the Flag. 

“He took her back last time and rode her a bit more patient and I thought that was her best race visually,” said Joseph, Jr. “So, maybe that’s the key with her is not to have her one the pace and just take her back and make one run.”

In contrast to her last-out rally, Sister Lou Ann was a pacesetting third in the Grade 3 Suwannee River in December at Gulfstream Park. Her three prior wins came in prominent fashion. 

Be My Sunshine was a close second to kick off her 4-year-old campaign in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Endeavour in February at Tampa Bay Downs. In her three subsequent efforts, the gray finished off-the-board in the one-mile Grade 3 Honey Fox in March at Gulfstream ahead of fourths in June at Churchill, in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Mint Julep and nine-furlong Anchorage Overnight. 

Joseph, Jr. said a slight cutback in distance at Saratoga could be appreciated by the filly, who won a 7 1/2-furlong maiden on debut in January 2023 at Gulfstream. 

“I think the cutback is going to work for her. Her best form has been at 7 1/2 [furlongs] to a mile. I think it allows her to have a bit more finish,” said Joseph, Jr. “She seems a bit one-paced which might make you think further distance, but I think a quicker tempo allows her a bit more finish at the end.”

Mrs. John Magnier and Roisin Henry’s Irish-bred Midnight Mile [post 10, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] has finished second to returning foes Spirit And Glory and Mouffy in her two stateside outings.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, who is always tough to beat at Saratoga, the 4-year-old No Nay Never bay showed vast improvement when narrowly defeated by the latter.

For trainer Richard Fahey, Midnight Mile won the 2022 Group 3 Oh So Sharp going seven-furlongs at Newmarket ahead of a rallying fourth in that year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland.

Last year, she took a listed stakes at York traveling 1 5/16-miles ahead of a third-place finish against males in the Group 3 Rose of Lancaster at the same distance in August at Haydock.

Midnight Mile is out of the Galileo mare Ruby Tuesday, who is a half-sister to 2003 Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas-winner Yesterday and dual Group 1-placed All My Loving.

Rounding out the Saratoga field are:

• Group 3-winner Immensitude [post 7, Junior Alvarado] and three-time winner Poca Mucha [post 4, Joel Rosario] for Hall of Famer Bill Mott
• Dual graded stakes-placed Hot Fudge [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] for trainer Linda Rice
• Graded stakes-placed Five Towns [post 1, Manny Franco] for conditioner Graham Motion