2024 Spinaway Stakes Preview

Juvenile fillies take the spotlight in the Spinaway Stakes, one of the closing-weekend features at Saratoga Race Course. The Grade 1, $300,000 race is a seven-furlong sprint on the dirt, the longest distance any of these horses has tried so far in their young careers. The race drew a field of 11, most of whom are trying to step up to stakes level for the first time.

The headliner is The Queens M G, who goes for the Saratoga stakes sweep. On opening day, she upset the Schuylerville at 44-1, though she proved with a dominant score in the Adirondack (G3) that her long shot victory was no fluke. She leads the field in terms of class and experience: she is the only stakes winner in the field, and she has three career wins while no one else has more than one.

Though it does not offer an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, the top three finishers will earn incentives through the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen program. Horses who have swept the Spinaway and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile fillies include Vequist (2020), Countess Diana (1997), Flanders (1994), and Meadow Star (1990).

Spinaway Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 31
• Track: Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York
• Post Time: 4:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 7 furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: 2-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing and Fox Sports 2
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2024 Spinaway Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2024 Spinaway Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Spinaway Stakes Prep Race Results

The 11 runners in the Schuylerville come out of nine different races.

Though the Adirondack (G3) is the local prep for the Spinaway, only one horse actually comes out of that race on August 4: The Queens M G. She is the only graded-stakes winner in the field by virtue of her win in that race, and the only one with graded-stakes experience.

Two others last raced in the Schuylerville. Sherbini was second behind The Queens M G in that opening-day feature, while Slang was pulled up in that race. This makes Sherbini and Slang the only two runners other than The Queens M G to have stakes experience.

The other eight runners all come out of maiden races, with seven coming out of open maiden special weight races for fillies. Immersive and Salted ran 1-2 in a maiden special weight sprint on July 21 at Saratoga; Salted is the lone maiden in the field. Other last-out maiden winners include Quietside, Strong State, Pondering, Tiz Purple, and Reliable Source. Quietside’s 6 ½-length romp came back fastest and garnered the most attention, though it is also worth noting that Reliable Source woke up at 6 ½ furlongs, and Tiz Purple, Strong State, and Pondering all showed some ability to battle on the front end.

Bellacose is the only one to come out of a state-bred race. She set the pace and romped home easily by 10 lengths when she debuted in a New York-bred maiden special weight at the Spa on July 17.

Spinaway Stakes Contenders

These are the eight entrants in the 2024 Spinaway Stakes, in order of their post positions:

1. Immersive: She has raced once, a debut maiden win last month at the Spa. She showed good tactical speed, stalking the pace and outfinishing Salted to win by two lengths. Her pedigree suggests seven furlongs (and beyond) should suit nicely, though this Brad Cox trainee is mired on the rail in a big field, which could be a challenge for such a lightly-raced horse.
2. Sherbini: She broke her maiden in a key race at Churchill Downs in June; Strong State came back to win next out, as did the third-place finisher. She also has stakes experience, rallying from last and finishing second to more forwardly-placed The Queens MG in the Schuylerville. She could be coming well late for trainer Mark Casse if the pace gets hot, and there’s enough speed to suggest it might.
3. Reliable Source: She rallied for second in a 4 ½-furlong baby race on debut, then showed more speed when she broke her maiden going six and a half at Saratoga in July. That front-end grit should serve her well, especially from this challenging post with a lot of speed inside of her, and the 6 ½-furlong win bodes well for seven. However, she will have to take a significant step up in terms of speed in order to match what others have done, and she loses jockey Flavien Prat, who is at Kentucky Downs for the day.
4. Tiz Purple: She attended the pace and finished a close second on debut, and then disputed the pace and won gamely second-out on August 7. It was a good step forward, and the Jorge Delgado trainee may find another one. The stretch to seven furlongs should be fine pedigree-wise, too. However, she will have to contend with even more speed up front, including many horses outside her.
5. Slang: She graduated second-out at Churchill, but was not able to do much in the Schuylerville before pulling up. It appeared to be a cautionary pull-up, as Slang then got loose and ran around a while before being apprehended. She returned to the work tab soon after and has worked five times since then, suggesting that trainer Norm Casse has her in condition to race again. If she takes a step forward from the maiden win, she fits, though she has the same problem as so many, with speed being her more proven game in a race with a lot of pace.
6. Salted: The lone maiden in the field, she has finished second in both of her races. Even though she didn’t graduate last out, she did show some good traits by overcoming a bad break, rallying, and finishing a good second. She needs to improve more off of that outing, but if she can stay off the pace she may be able to run on for a piece.
7. Pondering: A debut winner at Ellis for trainer Brendan Walsh, she looked good but has the same running style as so many runners in here: she battled on the pace and prevailed in the end. The pace wasn’t particularly fast in that debut, meaning it’ll be a tougher test this time around. But Walsh does well with last-out maiden winners, and her pedigree makes more ground interesting.
8. The Queens M G: On class and experience, she is the horse to beat: she has won three out of four and is going for the sweep of the open juvenile fillies’ stakes at the summer Saratoga meet. The big concern in the large field is how she folded after a bad start in the Astoria three starts back. However, she has run excellent races with Dylan Davis in her last two, and she is tactical enough to lay off a few lengths off a likely fast pace and then inhale them into the lane.
9. Strong State: She is yet another horse who comes off a forwardly placed maiden win, but to her credit, she was able to survive a pair of pace duels and still win the war. Jockey Irad Ortiz returns to the irons from that second-out win, a positive. It’s also a good sign that, on debut, she was able to overcome steadying at the start to make a rally from near the back of the field for second. That versatility and ability to handle trouble helps her case, as does the fact that trainer Al Stall has made the most of a limited amount of starts at the Spa.
10. Bellacose: She romped against New York-breds on debut, taking an early lead and drawing off to win confidently by ten lengths. The waters get deeper now that she faces open company, though her debut came back fast enough to make it worth trying graded-stakes horses. She does lose jockey Manuel Franco to rail-drawn Immersive, who he also ride last out, though trainer Jeremiah Englehart is having an excellent Saratoga meet and tends to do well with last-out maiden winners.
11. Quietside: The morning-line favorite for trainer John Ortiz, Quietside won her debut in stalk-and-pounce fashion earlier in the month under jockey Luis Saez and stands to be bet well off of that outing. She will be forward, but she has already shown herself tactical enough to stay just off the front end, and should be able to work a clean outside stalking trip.

Spinaway Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Spinaway Stakes?

A: The Spinaway Stakes happens Saturday, August 31, at 5:41 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Where is the Spinaway Stakes?

A: The Spinaway Stakes will be run at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is the 11th of 13 on the Saturday card.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Spinaway Stakes?

A: D. Wayne Lukas and Todd Pletcher are tied for the most victories in the Spinaway. Lukas last won the race in 1995 with Golden Attraction, while Pletcher’s last win came in 2016 with Sweet Loretta, who dead heated with Mark Casse trainee Pretty City Dancer. Both are still active, though neither has an entrant this year. Among trainers in the 2024 edition, Steve Asmussen leads with three wins, most recently in 2021 with Echo Zulu. He can make it four if Reliable Source wins.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Spinaway Stakes?

A: Off an impressive maiden win for trainer John Ortiz, Quietside is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the Spinaway. However, don’t be surprised if 7-2 second choice The Queens M G actually goes off favored off the strength of her two straight stakes wins.

Q: Who is the best Spinaway Stakes jockey?

A: Angel Cordero, Jr. leads all jockeys with five wins in the Spinaway, most recently in 1989 with Stella Madrid. Among jockeys in the 2024 edition, Irad Ortiz, Jr. leads with four. He can tie the record if Strong State wins.

Q: Who won the Spinaway Stakes in 2023?

A: Brightwork won the 2023 Spinaway Stakes for trainer John Ortiz and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. John Ortiz has Quietside in 2024, ridden by Luis Saez. Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Strong State for Al Stall, Jr.

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