NYSSS Statue of Liberty Preview: Dixie Cannon Makes State-bred Debut

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Karmac Stable’s Dixie Cannon makes her state-bred debut while seeking her third career victory in Thursday’s $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes Series (NYSSS) Statue of Liberty at Saratoga.

The Statue of Liberty is a 1 1/16-mile inner turf route restricted to 3-year-old fillies eligible for the NYSSS. The 2020 edition attracted a field of seven and is the fourth event on a 10-race Thursday card.

Here is a look at the full field for the NYSSS Statue of Liberty:

1. Fresco 1/1 – Though still a maiden, she came within a nose of breaking that status last time out in her first attempt at the state-bred level. She is a full sister to multiple stakes winner Therapist and has lethal connections in trainer Christophe Clement and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., who have won 23% together since 2019.

2. Dixie Cannon 9/2 – She ended 2019 with back-to-back victories against open company juvenile fillies, both instances while pressing the pace and drawing off in the stretch. She was well-beaten in her 2020 debut on June 12, but that came against older horses, so she should improve while facing her own age group in her second start after the layoff.

3. Officer Hutchy 8/1 – She won 2 of her first 4 starts, all while sprinting on dirt, and earned blacktype honors with a runner-up effort in her second career apperance. Her turf debut came just four days ago in a local 5 1/2-furlong sprint, where she finished a well-beaten seventh, but trainer Linda Rice wins 37% with horses returning within seven days of their last starts.

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4. Apollo’s Abraxas 12/1 – It took her 8 starts, added distance, and a class drop to the state-bred claiming ranks in order to break her maiden, which she did last time out in a 1 1/8-mile inner turf route at Belmont Park. She takes a big class jump after that gate-to-wire effort, but she proved that distance is her friend – not something that every rival here can say.

5. Holmdel Park 8/1 – She sheds blinkers after failing to hit the board in a pair of efforts sporting the hood. Her lone victory came in an off-turf sprint last fall and she finished fourth in both prior grass starts, but perhaps the combination of changing her equipment and making her first attempt at navigating two turns can make a big enough impact to her recent form.

6. Nicky Scissors 7/2 – Her second career start resulted in a 10 1/2-length blowout score over maidens and earned her a shot in February’s Maddie May Stakes, where she tired to finish last of five. She has several questions to answer: after being rescued from the Jason Servis drug program, her first turf start will also be her inaugural appearance for new trainer Brad Cox.

7. Hunnybunnerdini 10/1 – She waited until June 4 of this year to make her debut, but she did so stylishly, upsetting fellow state-breds at 47/1 while sprinting 6 furlongs. She failed to make any impact 12 days ago against state-bred allowance rivals, but stretching out to two turns might be enough to give trainer John Morrison his first 2020 victory that did not come with a debut runner.