Saratoga Picks | Union Avenue Handicap 2024

Ken Wheeler, Jr.’s dual stakes-winner Kant Hurry Love will look to avenge a runner-up effort in last year’s Union Avenue when taking on six rivals in this year’s running of the six-furlong handicap for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up Friday at Saratoga Race Course.

The Union Avenue is slated as Race 8 on Friday’s 10-race card, which co-features the $125,000 Even Shipman in Race 2. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by David Duggan, the daughter of Kantharos was last seen taking the Dancin Renee sprinting this distance on June 23 at Belmont at the Big A with a wire-to-wire trip engineered by regular pilot Trevor McCarthy. She was met with a late bid from former stablemate and returning rival Leeloo, but battled back gamely to win by three quarter-lengths. The effort garnered a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She’s doing well,” said Duggan. “There’s been no glitches since her last race, so we just hope we hold our form and come back out swinging again. She always shows up. Leeloo is probably itching to get back at us, but she [Kant Hurry Love] throws it down every time.”

Kant Hurry Love added blinkers for the first time in her last effort, a change Duggan said aided her and will be utilized again Friday.

“I was on tenterhooks about the blinkers because if they’re running well, you hate changing something,” said Duggan. “But it had been on our mind for a while and we breezed her a few times with them – it didn’t alter her personality majorly, and the quality of her works improved again. She doesn’t wear a big blinker, only smaller ones for some concentration. I’m presuming it’s because she’s a little older that she needs a little more focus.”

Her last-out win added to an additional stakes victory in last year’s Dancin Renee when besting Grannys Connection by a nose at Belmont Park. That same rival would come back to best her by 2 1/2 lengths in last year’s Union Avenue in an effort that Duggan said he was proud of.

“You can go through each race she’s run and have a smile on your face every time you speak about it,” said Duggan. “She’s ultra-consistent and she’s been an interesting filly to be around.”

Kant Hurry Love has posted one work at Saratoga, covering a half-mile in 48.70 seconds over the main track on July 20.

“She’ll work again tomorrow and I like the way she worked last time,” said Duggan. “She seems in pretty good shape, so we’re optimistic. She’s one if you overtrain, you won’t get the results, so there’s a happy-medium with her and a balancing act.”

Bred by Dr. John M. McDermott and Laura G. McDermott, Kant Hurry Love boasts four additional stakes placings, including two against open company. She was assigned a field-high 124 pounds and will exit the outermost post 7 in rein to McCarthy.

Kingsport Farm’s Leeloo [post 4, Jose Ortiz, 120 pounds] challenges her familiar foe again on the heels of their last meeting in the Dancin Renee. Trained by Ignacio Correas, IV, Leeloo has hit the board in 5-of-8 starts since being transferred back to her current conditioner last summer, including a neck defeat to Sterling Silver at Saratoga in the Iroquois, an effort that produced a field-best 95 Beyer.

Bred by Sequel Stallions NY and Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Leeloo won an open optional claiming tilt in February at the Big A ahead of two close fourths against open stakes company in the Matron in March at Oaklawn Park and Grade 3 Winning Colors in May at Churchill Downs.

She has now had two stints with both Duggan and Correas, IV, and won at least once in each tenure.

Trainer Phil Serpe saddles two talented contenders in the stakes-winning Security Code [post 2, Jose Lezcano, 121 pounds] and stakes-placed Cousin Kristi [post 1, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 118 pounds].

WellSpring Stables’ Security Code enters off an even fifth-place finish in the Dancin Renee after a five-wide trip and makes her fourth consecutive outing in state-bred stakes company. She broke through in the first of those starts with a determined neck score over multiple graded stakes-placed Venti Valentine in the seven-furlong Broadway in February at the Big A ahead of a fourth in the one-mile Biogio’s Rose.

Bred by Rockridge Stud, Ascendant Farms and Godolphin, Security Code boasts a 21-5-5-5 record with $430,040 in earnings.

CJ Thoroughbreds and RAF Productions’ Cousin Kristi was a prominent second against open company last out in Gulfstream Park’s 6 1/2-furlong Musical Romance Handicap on June 29. There, she tracked a close second in the early stages and had a head lead at the stretch call, but could not fend off Bluefield and settled for place 3 1/2 lengths back.

Bred by Very Un Stable, the daughter of Kantharos seeks her first win for Serpe since transferring to his care this winter, her best finish since coming with a neck defeat to Bluefield in a six-furlong optional claimer in May at Gulfstream.

Richard Greeley’s stakes-winner Cara’s Time [post 5, Eric Cancel, 115 pounds] looks for her second stakes score after taking the state-bred seven-furlong Joseph A. Gimma in September at Belmont at the Big A. Trained by Mitch Friedman, the Not This Time gray was a good third last out against open company in a Saratoga first-level allowance on July 19, finishing 3 3/4 lengths behind Princess Madison.

Bred by Stephen Crestani, Jr., Cara’s Time was also runner-up in a pair of state-bred stakes this winter and won a 6 1/2-furlong state-bred optional claimer going away from multiple stakes-winner Gone and Forgotten two starts back on June 15 at the Big A.

Completing the Saratoga field are:

• The multiple stakes-placed Captainsdaughter [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 118 pounds] for conditioner Russell Cash
• Five-time winner Early Edition [post 6, Silvestre Gonzalez, 118 pounds] for trainer Stacy Machiz