This intriguing allowance race drew a highly competitive field with no shortage of new faces. However, a few of the main contenders do exit the 6th race on July 20. Dancing All Night (5) probably ran the best race that day, as she attacked a solid early pace from the outset, appeared to have today’s rival Palladian Bridge (8) measured at the sixteenth pole, and was just barely run down by a late-closing Hay Field. That was an excellent effort for her first start in nearly a year, and she will be tough to beat if she takes a step forward.

In my opinion, the most interesting filly out of that July 20 race is CYPRIANA (9). This filly is a bit of a head case, and her worst behavior was on display last time as she bolted around the far turn, taking Javier Castellano nearly to the outside rail as she refused to corner. Most horses would have been eased in that situation, but she somehow rejoined the race to only lose by 6 1/2 lengths – pretty remarkable considering that she covered 70 more feet around the turn that Dancing All Night, according to Trakus. Mark Hennig had been quoted as saying after the race that running at Saratoga on opening day may have been too much for her to handle, so I think it’s a good sign that he’s entered her back in a spot like this so quickly. She worked well 11 days ago, as she usually does, and Ricardo Santana, Jr. is likely to give her the aggressive ride that she probably needs. I don’t fully trust her, but I think she’s one that will be a price in this spot.

The most interesting new faces in this race are McCall (1) and Cilantro (10), both of whom are coming off maiden wins. Of those two, I prefer McCall, who won a legitimately fast race at Ellis Park last time with an electric late rally up the rail. This barn is not known for winning with inexperienced horses, so she may possess extraordinary talent.