Saratoga Picks | Johnstone Mile Handicap 2024

America’s Pastime Stables, Liberty House Racing and Mic Duff Stables’ Smokin’ Hot Kitty goes for her first stakes victory in Wednesday’s $125,000 Johnstone Mile Handicap, a one-mile handicap from the Wilson Chute for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course.

The Johnstone Mile is slated as Race 8 on Wednesday’s nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Trained by Horacio De Paz, the in-form daughter of Kitten’s Joy has won four of her last five outings, led by a last-out 6 3/4-length romp when setting the pace in a local nine-furlong state-bred optional claimer on July 18. That win came on the heels of a similar win on June 20 at Belmont at the Big A when pouncing from a half-length back to draw off by 4 1/4 lengths going one-mile against state-breds.

“She’s doing good and I’m happy with her,” said De Paz. “She ran good here the other day and came out of it good. I think she’s really found her rhythm and has been focused and settled since she hasn’t been sprinting. She enjoys the route of ground. She’s a different type of horse, but it’s rewarding to figure her out.”

Smokin’ Hot Kitty has been a model of consistency since being claimed by De Paz for $30,000 last April. Her new conditioner added blinkers for her first start off the claim and has never taken them off, a change that has since accompanied a 13-5-2-2 record and more than $200,000 in earnings.

“We figured the blinkers would get her focused and we wanted to give a change to what the previous connections did,” De Paz said regarding the addition of blinkers. “It’s worked.”

While Smokin’ Hot Kitty made her first five starts for De Paz on the turf and her first nine in the claiming ranks, she found her best form in recent outings when brought back to the main track to travel a route of ground.

“She’s a turf horse with pedigree, but she likes the dirt right now. We figured stretching her out that the pace would be easier for her to keep up,” said De Paz. “Most claims don’t turn out this way, and she’s taught me a lot. I hope we can continue it.”

Bred by Kathleen Schweizer and Daniel Burke, Smokin’ Hot Kitty holds a lifetime record of 22-6-3-3. She will exit post 3 in rein to regular pilot Kendrick Carmouche [118 pounds].

Mark T. Anderson’s multiple graded stakes-placed Sterling Silver [post 2, Junior Alvarado, 124 pounds] attempts to bounce back after an even fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss Handicap on July 24 here.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Sterling Silver is a three-time state-bred stakes-winner, and nearly added a Grade 2 score to her resume after crossing the wire first in the Gallant Bloom in October at the Big A, but was placed second after the stewards disqualified her for interference.

Previously trained by Tom Albertrani for all but one of her first 22 outings, Mott took over training duties this spring and saw the daughter of Cupid land third first time out in the state-bred six-furlong Dancin Renee in June at Aqueduct. She looks to add to one win this year in a seven-furlong handicap in March at Tampa Bay Downs. She was bred by Mallory Mort and Karen Mort.

Flying P Stable’s Cupid’s Heart [post 6, Javier Castellano, 120 pounds] also brings consistent form to the field as one of three Saratoga entrants for trainer Bruce Levine, boasting a 9-for-10 lifetime in-the-money record. The 5-year-old daughter of Cupid arrives off a determined three-quarter-length win with stalk-and-pounce tactics sprinting seven furlongs versus open company on June 30 at Belmont at the Big A.

Bred by Sugar Maple Farm, the gray mare makes her return to state-bred company for the first time since October 2022 when annexing a seven-furlong optional-claimer by five lengths at the Big A. Since then, she has held her own in six starts in open allowance company, led by her last-out win in her lone start this season.

Flying P Stable and Levine are also represented by dual-winner Echo in Eternity [post 7, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 117 pounds], who makes her stakes debut off a stalking allowance coup against state-breds on July 24 here at Saratoga. The Connect dark bay, bred by Mina Equivest, is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Ice Princess.

Levine’s third entry is Vincent Stanzione’s stakes-placed Sunset Louise [post 1, Jose Ortiz, 121 pounds], who enters off a fourth last-out in the state-bred Critical Eye on June 9 here at Saratoga. The 5-year-old Tonalist chestnut, bred by Schiano Racing, vies for her first win since a 5 3/4-length score in an off-the-turf mile here last year.

Winning Move Stable sends out the most experienced horse in the field as Bustin Bay [post 5, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 123 pounds] makes her 46th lifetime outing and 14th in the care of trainer Linda Rice. The 6-year-old Bustin Stones mare was last seen finishing an even fourth in an off-the-turf 5 1/2-furlong sprint here at Saratoga on July 11, a distance she hadn’t seen since her debut on turf in 2020.

“She’s doing good. Her last race wasn’t really her distance, but the mile should suit her,” said Rice.

Bustin Bay has dabbled in stakes company under Rice’s tutelage, finishing second in three state-bred stakes since December. She finished a well-beaten second to multiple graded stakes-placed Venti Valentine two starts back in the aforementioned nine-furlong Critical Eye. She was bred by Robert D. Rosenthal, Peter Rosenthal and Martin Greenberg.

Completing the Saratoga field is DiRico Racing and Breeding’s Maggy’s Palace [post 4, Dylan Davis, 116 pounds], who is 1-for-2 since moving to trainer Jim Ryerson from the barn of Karl Grusmark this spring.

Bred by Joseph DeRico, the Palace Malice sophomore was a last-out winner of a first-level state-bred allowance against elders on June 30 at Belmont at the Big A, improving greatly from a distant off-the-board effort at the same level 15 days prior.