Grade 1 Hopeful Headlines Labor Day Card at The Spa

Category :: News

The 111^th running of the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes September 7 at Saratoga has drawn an evenly matched field of eight juvenile runners set to contest the seven furlong tilt on the main track.

Uncle Vinny is the 5/2 morning line favorite after winning the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes via disqualification in his last start. The Todd Pletcher trainee was beaten two parts of a length by fellow hopeful contender Magna Light (3/1) in the Sanford, but was moved to first after stewards determined that rival impeded Uncle Vinny’s progress in the stretch. Uncle Vinny, a son of 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion Uncle Mo, should relish the additional furlong in the Hopeful. Regular pilot John Velazquez will be aboard with the pair set to break from post 7.

Magna Light gets rematch

Magna Light figures to be the controlling speed of the race and will use his inside post position to sprint clear from the opening bell under jockey Junior Ortiz. The son of Magna Graduate out of a Mineshaft mare is bred top and bottom for more distance and has been training well for conditioner Rudy Rodriguez. The colt will likely need to avoid an early dual with the speedy Sallisaw (5/1) breaking to his immediate outside.

Maiden tackles stakes foes

Tom’s Ready (10/1) is an interesting item for trainer Dallas Stewart and could fit in nicely against this bunch despite being the only non-winner in the field. In his lone start, the son of More Than Ready broke slowly in a 5 1/2 furlong maiden race, but closed with a rush to finish fourth, beaten less than two lengths.