Saratoga Picks | Honorable Miss Handicap 2024

Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Accede will look to double up on Grade 2 scores when taking on seven rivals in Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga Race Course.

The Honorable Miss is slated as Race 7 on Wednesday’s nine-race card at Saratoga. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the 4-year-old Into Mischief bay earned her first graded conquest last out with a prominent neck victory over Just Katherine in the Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses on June 15 at Belmont at the Big A.

The win came with a more forward trip than the filly had seen in her recent outings, veering out at the start before correcting her course to duel for early command with Beguine through the first quarter-mile. She then relinquished command to her eager foe to stalk 1 1/2 lengths off the pace down the backside, and responded kindly when asked for her best in the turn, taking a narrow lead at the stretch call and digging in deep in the lane to fend off the late rush of Just Katheirne by a neck.

Brown said the talented filly has found her best stride as a frontrunning sprinter.

“We’ll plan on keeping her running sprint distances and I’m really pleased with her development,” said Brown. “She’s taken the time off well and she’s done everything you’d want to see from three to four.”

The Bed o’ Roses marked Accede’s third consecutive victory, adding to back-to-back allowance-level scores in October and April at Keeneland, the first of which came with off-the-pace tactics ahead of a more prominent win six months later.

Accede also boasts a debut graduation last March in a six-furlong tilt at Gulfstream Park, which was preceded by a third in the Grade 2 Eight Belles in May at Churchill Downs. She faltered when stretched out to a respective 1 1/16 miles and one mile when off-the-board in the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park and restricted Wilton at Saratoga.

Brown added he was pleased with Accede’s final work for the Honorable Miss when covering a half-mile in 48.46 over Saratoga main track Thursday.

“She’s doing great and had her final work today,” said Brown. “She’s come back this year a little faster and stronger after a rest after her 3-year-old season. I really like where she’s at.”

Accede owns an 8-4-0-1 record with $373,650 in earnings. She is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Mizzen Mast mare Jibboom, a full-sister to Magnifica – dam of multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Gold Phoenix.

Flavien Prat as the call from the inside post [122 pounds].

Robert and Lawana Low’s Grade 1-placed Munnys Gold returns to stakes company for the first time in almost one year for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The 4-year-old daughter of Munnings was last seen making a successful return to the races after a 10-month layoff when besting seven rivals in a six-furlong allowance sprint on June 7 here. The speedy filly earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for the gate-to-wire effort, the co-highest last-out figure in the field.

“I thought it was a very good comeback. It was good to see her back in what appears to be top form,” Pletcher said. “It was a good stepping stone to this. I think she’s had some physical maturity [since last year] and is a little bigger and a little stronger.”

Munnys Gold graduated by 14 1/2 lengths at first asking in June 2022 in a five-furlong sprint at Monmouth Park that garnered a 101 Beyer. She was away from the races until last January, but returned with aplomb to post back-to-back open-lengths victories in Florida in a state-bred allowance at Gulfstream Park and the state-bred Sophomore Fillies at Tampa Bay Downs, the latter producing a 106 Beyer for a 17 1/4-length tour de force.

She went on to finish a close second in the Grade 2 Eight Belles ahead of a respective fourth and third in Grade 1 company in the Acorn and Saratoga’s seven-furlong Test.

Munnys Gold has worked consistently at Saratoga, and breezed a half-mile solo in 50.50 seconds Wednesday over the main track.

“She’s doing excellent and breezed well yesterday. Everything is on target,” Pletcher said. “She’s a pretty enthusiastic horse to train on a daily basis, so we just try to keep her as calm and relaxed as we can. She’s an absolute sweetheart to be around, unless you’re trying to gallop her. She’s very forward in her gallops.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call from post 8 [118 pounds].

Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Jarret Prussin’s Clearly Unhinged looks to remain perfect in her tenure with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

The 4-year-old Into Mischief bay won twice for conditioner Michael McCarthy and was defeated a head by Pretty Mischievous in the Grade 1 Test here last year before a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Chillingworth at Santa Anita Park.

She completed her sophomore season with off-the-board finishes there in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and Grade 1 La Brea. 

This year, Clearly Unhinged is undefeated in two outings for Asmussen, beginning with a 2 3/4-length win in a five-furlong off-the-turf optional claimer in April at Churchill Downs and most recently notching her first graded victory in the Grade 3 Winning Colors on May 27 over the same oval.

Both wins came after prominent trips engineered by Hall of Famer Joel Rosario, who returns to the irons from post 4 [122 pounds] Wednesday. 

Miller Racing’s graded stakes-winner Spirit Wind [post 6, Mike Smith, 120 pounds] also earned a 98 Beyer last out for a win in the Memorial Day Sprint on May 28 at Lone Star Park. Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the daughter of Bahamian Squall stalked and pounced to a definitive 3 1/2-length win over Accomplished Girl with Hall of Famer Mike Smith in the irons for the first time.

Spirit Wind seeks her first graded victory since taking the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl in gate-to-wire fashion in December at Gulfstream when in the care of Carlos David. She began her career with trainer Ralph Nicks and graduated at second asking by 15 1/2 lengths en route to her first stakes wins in the Any Limit and Musical Romance at Gulfstream. She made her first start for Joseph, Jr. with a close third in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie in March before an off-the-board finish in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff in May at Churchill.

Completing the Saratoga field are:

• The multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Sterling Silver [post 5, Junior Alvarado, 118 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott
• The pair of dual graded stakes-placed Hot Fudge [post 7, Jose Lezcano, 120 pounds] and stakes-placed Everyoneloveslinda [post 2, Eric Cancel, 116 pounds] for conditioner Linda Rice
• The Jose D’Angelo-trained stakes-winner Freedom Speaks [post 3, Luis Saez, 117 pounds]