Saturday’s 12-race card at Saratoga co-features the Grade 2 $400,000 Alfred Vanderbilt for the sprinters, while 3-year-old fillies share billing in the Grade 1 $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks. The 1-1/8 miles test is part of the Grade 1 Alabama series for the sophomore gals at the Spa.
Horseplayers with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet be sure to take part in this week’s Money-Back Special races each racing day for Saratoga.
Let’s meet the contenders for the Coaching Club American Oaks (Race 10):
#1-IMMERSIVE: Seeks to become the first Champion 2-Year-Old Filly to add this race at age 3 since Songbird in 2016.. Trainer Brad Cox won the 2018 CCA Oaks (Monomoy Girl) and 2023 CCA Oaks (Wet Paint). Nyquist filly won all 4 starts a year ago (including the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga), but was defeated by a neck in her lone 2025 start when runner-up in Churchill Downs’ Monomoy Girl Stakes on June 14. Gets a rematch with her Louisville nemesis Take Charge Milady on Saturday.
#2-SWEET SERAPHINE: Quality Road home-bred filly makes the rise in class off back-to-back wins in a limited campaign this year. Nose winner at Churchill in late May and talked the Wilton Stakes on June 22 at Aqueduct by a head, showing a penchant for taking the close ones. Jose Ortiz piloted 2019 CCA Oaks winner Guarana. Trainer Cherie Devaux won a pair of races opening week at the Spa from 5 starters and was runner-up in the Grade 1 Diana with favored She Feels Pretty.
#3-SCOTTISH LASSIE: Last year’s Grade 1 Frizette winner was most recently third in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Acorn Stakes behind CCA Oaks return rival La Cara. McKinzie filly is 1-for-5 lifetime, but hasn’t missed a sujperfecta – including fourth in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies behind Immersive. Jorge Abreu gets a chance to slay two dragons here and employs Joel Rosario in the saddle for the first time.
#4-TAKE CHARGE MILADY: Trainer Kenny McPeek seeks back-to-back wins in this race after champion Thorpedo Anna’s 2024 score. This 2-time listed stakes winner in 2025 has scores at Oaklawn and Churchill on her ledger, but is 3: 0-1-0 in graded stakes bids. Runner-up in the Grade 1 Ashland behind CCA Oaks rival La Cara, beaten 1-1/4 lengths at the shorter trip. Saratoga debut for daughter of Take Charge Indy, who seeks his first Spa graded stakes winner on dirt.
#5-DRY POWDER: Wilton Stakes runner-up to CCA Oaks rival Sweet Seraphine bids for her first career stakes win. She won 1 of 3 career starts but has never been worse than second for trainer Chad Summers. $525,000 daughter of Gun Runner got a late start to the races with a March 16 debut at Gulfstream. This will be her first start around 2 turns as Jose Lezcano takes the return mount.
#6-LA CARA (pictured): Mark Casse trainee’s 5 wins include 4 wire-to-wire jobs, none more impressive or important than the Grade 1 Acorn over this track June 6 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Jockey Dylan Davis has been the regular pilot this year, mastering the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland on the front end as well. Dropped the ball on the big stage in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Kentucky Oaks, beaten more than 29 lengths combined, but is 2-for-3 locally and vies for favoritism.
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