Saratoga Race Serves as a Primer of Sorts

Without question, the best main-track filly or mare in the country is Azeri.

Two other 4-year-old fillies who will be trying to upset her in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in a couple of months at Arlington Park will be getting together in today’s $400,000 Personal Ensign Handicap at Saratoga.

Summer Colony and Dancethruthedawn, who have combined to win five of nine in 2002, head a field of six in the Grade I at 1 1/4 miles.

Owned and bred by Edward Evans, who is quietly having a successful year, and trained by Mark Hennig, Summer Colony, a daughter of Summer Squall, has the distinction of being the only horse to defeat Azeri.

That victory--due in large part to Azeri being taken off a slow pace--came in the La Canada Handicap on Feb. 9 at Santa Anita and was the first of her three graded stakes wins at three tracks this year. One of her other victories was by a nose over Dancethruthedawn in the Pimlico Breeders’ Cup Distaff on May 17.

She has won two of her previous four at Saratoga, including a 32 3/4-length domination of maidens over a wet-fast track a little over a year ago.

Owned and bred by Sam-Son Farms and trained by Mark Frostad, Dancethruthedawn will be seeking her second Grade I victory of the meet. The 2-1 favorite in the Go For Wand on July 28, the Mr. Prospector filly rolled home by nearly four lengths over Transcendental, who is also running today.

The other four participants are Two Item Limit, who has lost eight in a row since taking the 2001 Black Eyed Susan at Pimlico, Critical Eye and Starrer.

Race of the day: Fateful Dream, third behind Special Ring in that one’s record-setting victory in the Wickerr earlier in the Del Mar meet, heads the field in the $75,000 Harry Brubaker Handicap. The seventh on the card, the Brubaker is at 1 1/16 miles on the turf and drew seven others.

Who’s hot: Richard Migliore. The jockey was steamed after being disqualified out of a victory on Monday at Saratoga and was promptly fined $2,000--half for his outburst and the other half for taking off the remainder of his mounts. Migliore, who has been riding very well, had a right to be angry. The stewards’ decision was horrible.

Who’s not: The field in the 11th at Sacramento. The 12 original entrants in the maiden claimer are winless in 103.

Exotically speaking: A pick three using Warn Me Again and French Rebel in the third, all in the fourth and singling Slippery When Bet in the fifth.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 3/55. Money: Previous day/meet total: $22.80/$334.60. Total money bet: $442.