Top Class Fillies Make Seasonal Debuts in Shine Again Stakes

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The $100,000 Shine Again Stakes is the featured and penultimate race of the day Wednesday, August 5 at Saratoga, as a field of 11 fillies and mares will contest the seven furlong tilt on the main track.

The speedy Stonetastic is the 5/2 morning line favorite while making her 2015 debut following a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes December 26 at Santa Anita to cap her three year-old season. Stonetastic, a four year-old filly trained by Kelly Breen, finished fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint last year, and won the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes August 30 in her first and only try at the Spa. Stonetastic will break from post 3 under jockey Paco Lopez.

Sweet Basil has recency

7/2 second choice, Sweet Basil, will break just inside the favorite with Corey Lanerie in the irons for trainer Ralph Nicks. Sweet Basil, a four year-old daughter of Pulpit, has won 3 of 9 career starts, and will seek to avenge a fourth-place finish last out in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney Stakes July 5 at Gulfstream - her first try against graded stakes competition. Prior to that effort, Sweet Basil has won consecutive starts in south Florida, including a victory in the Alachua Handicap.

Unbridled Forever makes first start of 2015

Unbridled Forever (5/1), will also be making her 2015 debut after finishing her three year-old campaign with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Trained by Dallas Stewart, Unbridled Forever made seven consecutive starts at the grade 1 or grade 2 level last year, finishing second or third five times. The daughter of Unbridled’s Song is out of Lemon’s Forever – the 2005 Kentucky Oaks winner.