Wonder Again will return to Saratoga Saturday to defend her title against a field of nine other top-class fillies and mares in the $500,000 Diana Stakes (gr. IT), formerly the Diana Handicap.
Trained by James Toner for Joan and John Phillips, Wonder Again will be seeking her first win since posting a 5 3/4-length score over Riskaverse in the 2004 Diana.
After a seven-month layoff, the 6-year-old daughter of Silver Hawk finished third in the Just A Game Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIT) in her first start this year and will enter the Diana off a good runner-up effort to Wend in the New York Handicap (gr. II) July 2.
Bred in Kentucky by Phillips and the Phillips Racing Partnership, Wonder Again, who finished third in the 2004 VO5 Breeders' Cup Fillies & Mares Turf (gr. IT), will break from the outside under jockey Edgar Prado.
Film Maker, who came in third just behind Wonder Again in the New York Handicap, but finished second before her in the Breeders' Cup will be looking to dethrone the defender from post position two. Trained by H. Graham Motion for Donald Adam, Film Maker will be seeking her second graded stakes win this year after posting a neck score in the Gallorette Handicap (gr. III) May 21 at Pimlico.
The grade I-winning daughter of
Dynaformer was bred in Kentucky under the banner of Adam's TAC Holdings. Jockey Javier Castellano has the mount.
Hall of Famer Bill Mott has two stunners in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile event, Delta Princess and Sand Springs.
Delta Princess is having a good year winning three of five starts in stakes company. She finished second in the Jenny Wiley (gr. III) at Keeneland before dominating the turf at Churchill, winning the Mint Julep Handicap (gr. III) in June, followed by a half-length score in the Locust Grove Handicap (gr. III) July 2 over the same distance as the Diana.
Mott conditions the daughter of
A.P. Indy for Saud Khaled. Bred in Kentucky by Palides Investments N.V., Delta Princess, who finished eighth in the 2003 Diana, will break from post five under jockey Jerry Bailey.
Mott's Sand Springs will look to better her fourth-place finish in last year's Diana. Bred by Willmot Stables and racing for the Sangster Family Stable, Sand Springs has two graded stakes victories to her credit this year: the Honey Fox Handicap (gr. III) at Gulfstream Park in March and the Just A Game in June at Belmont. Sandwiched between those wins was a runner-up effort in the Distaff Turf Mile (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby (gr. I) day.
Sand Springs will break from post eight under jockey John Valazquez.
$500,000 Diana Stakes (gr. IT), Saratoga, July 30, 1 1/8 miles, 3-year-olds and up fillies and mares, estimated local post time: 4:11 p.m. Post, Horse, Weight, Jockey
1 Winendynme, 118, Rafael Bejarano
2 Film Maker, 118, Javier Castellano
3 Angara, 118, Gary L. Stevens
4 Shadow Cast, 120, Robby Albarado
5 Delta Princess, 118, Jerry D. Bailey
6 Finery, 118, Pablo Fragoso
7 Que Puntual, 120, Cornelio H. Velasquez
8 Sand Springs, 120, John R. Velazquez
9 Spotlight, 118, Jose A. Santos
10 Wonder Again, 120, Edgar S. Prado
