Bolton Landing Preview: Joy’s Rocket Seeking Second Stakes Score

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Team Hanley’s Joy’s Rocket is already seeking the second stakes score of her young career as she faces a diverse group of juvenile fillies in Wednesday’s $85,000 Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga.

The Bolton Landing is a 5 1/2-furlong outer turf sprint restricted to 2-year-old fillies. This year’s edition is the penultimate event on a nine-race card with a local post time of 4:46 PM Eastern.

Here is a look at the full field for the Bolton Landing:

1. Hara 15/1 – She tries turf for the first time after compiling a record of 3-1-1-0 on dirt thus far. Like many in this field, she has an early turn of foot, so expect to see her vie for the lead from the rail. Jockey Luis Saez and trainer Antonio Sano have won 10 of their past 31 shared mounts with a $3.61 ROI.

2. Joy’s Rocket 5/2 – She broke her maiden on debut by a nose with a gutsy effort in the Churchill Downs slop, then was a clear winner in the My Dear Stakes over the Woodbine synthetic on August 1. She makes a relatively quick turnaround here, but she’s already shown surface versatility and trainer Steve Asmussen is 5 for 15 with juveniles so far this meet.

3. Sweet Souper Sweet 15/1 – She ran to her 8/5 favoritism on debut, winning by 3 lengths over the Woodbine synthetic in late June. Synthetic surface form often translates favorably to the lawn and offspring from her sire First Samurai hit at 12% in first-time turf tries. 

4. Quinoa Tifah 12/1 – She defeated a heavily-favored runner on debut at Gulfstream Park, but she failed to duplicate that same result three months later in the Schuylerville Stakes (G3) over the local dirt. In her defense, she was thumped soundly from both sides at the break and lost all desire to run, so with a cleaner start, she could show improvement.

5. Sassy Hannah 12/1 – Not only is she the field’s lone maiden, she’s also the only runner making her career debut in this spot. She has plenty of turf pedigree, but she’s facing some very precocious rivals, and in the past five years, trainer Eduardo Caramori has won with 4 of his 33 first-time starters – none of those coming on turf (12 starters).

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6. Tobys Heart 1/1 – She’s the morning line favorite thanks to an eye-popping debut score by 6 3/4 lengths while covering this distance on the Churchill Downs lawn in early June. Though unraced since, the Brian Lynch trainee recently posted back-to-back 4-furlong bullet works in :47.60 that were the best of 34 (on July 19) and the best of 123 (August 3).

“She showed me she had some talent prior to it with her works, so it was great to see it produce that sort of performance in her debut,” Lynch said. “Her works since have been great and seems to be doing really well. We’re looking forward to taking the next step here.”

7. Sunny Isle Beach 12/1 (Main Track Only) – One of two who will only race if it pours rain, she broke her maiden on debut at Churchill Downs while risked for a $75k tag. Interestingly enough, she’s cross-entered in Friday’s Skidmore Stakes over this same course and distance against a field of boys – and she’s not a Main Track Only entry there.

8. Amanzi Yimpilo 8/1 – While she’s just one of three entries from trainer Wesley Ward, she’ll be his only runner in the gate as long as the race stays on the turf. She was a relatively easy winner on debut while covering 5 furlongs on the Gulfstream Park lawn and Ward has won 15 of his past 50 starts (30%) when Irad Ortiz, Jr., is in the saddle.

9. Mischievous Dream 8/1 – The only runner with prior experience over the local lawn, she defeated her fellow New York-breds while debuting on July 19. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione keeps the mount for trainer Christophe Clement; that combination has won 9 of their past 45 mounts together (20%).

10. Stylish Rags 6/1 (Main Track Only) – The second entry hoping for a rainy day broke her maiden over the local dirt on July 31 while entered with a $50k tag. Should she make the gate, her outside post draw should give Jose Ortiz (aboard for the second time) plenty of options for where to place her.