Adirondack Stakes Odds & Betting Preview: Odds Favor Make Mischief to Win at Saratoga August 12
- 2021 Kentucky Oaks hopefuls square off at in Saratoga’s feature race Wednesday
- The Spa is known for baby races, and two year old fillies take center stage in the Adirondack Stakes
- Should you bet on favorites Make Mischief or Thoughtfully, or look for a price?
While the Travers Stakes and Whitney Stakes always highlight Saratoga’s boutique summer meet, sometimes the biggest impact The Spa has on The Sport of Kings are the numerous baby races.
In years that are not impacted by COVID-19, Saratoga serves as a bridge between the Triple Crown and Breeders Cup. However, whether it be a bizarre 2020, or any of the last 100 years, many high-end horses debut at Saratoga, with their second and third career races often a first try at stakes competition.
Win your debut or second race, and follow it up with a Saratoga stakes victory, and horses are on the fast track towards Breeders Cup juvenile races, and on the radar for the Kentucky Oaks and Derby.
Wednesday’s feature event is a classic at Saratoga. The Adirondack Stakes was first run in 1901. It is for two-year-old fillies going six and a half furlongs. Let’s look at the field and discuss the candidates.
2020 Adirondack Stakes Odds
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Make Mischief | +180 |
| Thoughtfully | +200 |
| Lucifers Lair | +300 |
| Lilac Lace | +600 |
| Beautiful Farewell | +800 |
| Ava’s Grace | +1200 |
Odds taken August 11
The Adirondack Stakes is slated to be run at 5:17 pm EST. It will be televised on Fox Sports 2.
The Favorites
Make Mischief won her debut at Belmont Park in June and followed it up finishing second on opening day at Saratoga in the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes.
A second-place finish in The Schuylerville is strong, but she was well beaten, and the winner was 20/1. Make Mischief’s Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is struggling. He has not yet won a race at Saratoga this year.
Thoughtfully is one-for-one in her career taking a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs by nearly nine lengths in June.
She was the big favorite in that race, and Hall of Fame trainer Steven Asmussen has seven wins and 17 in the money efforts out of 28 starters this year at Saratoga.
Top Contenders
Maryland bred Lucifers Lair won her debut at Saratoga last month. Superstar trainer Todd Pletcher saw his youngster go off as a tepid 5/2 favorite that day and won by three lengths. A homebred for The Elkstone Group, Saratoga’s leading jockey this year Irad Ortiz will ride her.
Bred in Florida, Lilac Lace was 19/1 when she beat a full field in her debut at Keeneland July 12. Trained by Anthony Quartarolo, Lilac Lace highlighted a superfecta that paid $19,330.37 in her first race.
Longshots
Beautiful Farewell comes out of the Mike Stidham barn following two losses. The only horse in the race to run twice, she was third in a maiden contest at Belmont Park in July, and finished fifth August 2 at Saratoga. She ran into significant racing trouble, getting behind a wall of horses and having to go wide last time out.
Ava’s Grace won her only race, July 3 at Ellis Park. While she went off at 7/1 that day, and the competition wasn’t overly strong, trainer Robertino Diodoro is known for pulling upsets.
The Bet
It is too early in these horses’ careers to really know how strong they are, and none are the hugely hyped types that were sold for millions of dollars and are “the next” great filly. Keeneland has terrific racing and there is value in backing professional but sometimes overlooked conditioner Anthony Quartarolo. Let’s take a flier with Lilac Lace.
Pick: Lilac Lace (+600)
Dave Friedman has covered professional and college sports for two decades. From ESPN to the Associated Press, Regional Sports Networks, Metro Networks, and many local outlets, he has written about and broadcast major and minor events throughout the country.
