Mythical looks to add to her legend in G3 Adirondack

Arindel’s undefeated Florida homebred Mythical will attempt to double up on local stakes wins in Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Adirondack, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Jorge Delgado, the St Patrick’s Day bay is perfect through two starts, graduating by 8 1/2-lengths in her April debut at Gulfstream Park and following last out with a powerful score over Blinging It Back when facing males in the Listed Tremont on June 5 at the Spa. 

The connections decided against running versus fillies in the Astoria on the Tremont card as they believed they could be controlling speed against the boys in the compact field of five. 

The decision proved correct as Mythical, with returning pilot Emisael Jaramillo up, showed the way through splits of 22.20 seconds and 44.97 over the fast main track. She held a two-length advantage at the stretch call and crossed the wire in a final time of 1:03.57, 3 1/2-lengths better than Blinging It Back with another 7 3/4-lengths back to Romeo, who would win the Listed Bashford Manor next out and subsequently sell for $1.7 million at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale. 

Delgado said he was proud of Mythical’s performance which registered a field-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

“It's always difficult for a filly to beat the boys and the way she did it and the time she ran that day, it was as remarkable as her first race,” Delgado said. “Honest to God, she's been special since Day One and so smart. She just does everything so easy.

"She beat good horses - well-bred horses,” Delgado added. “It's never easy to win a race in Saratoga and you're always going to find quality there. She made a statement that day and let them know that she's a good horse.”

Mythical [post 1, Emisael Jaramillo] was unable to ship back to her Monmouth Park base after the Tremont due to a strangles quarantine in Saratoga and instead enjoyed a week off, returning to the work tab on July 6 at Monmouth.

“She's been doing really good,” Delgado said. “She went to the farm, and since she came back to training she's been training every week very forward since then."

While Mythical faces her own kind on Sunday, she will have to face the challenge of stretching out another furlong in distance – she successfully progressed from 4 1/2-furlongs to 5 1/2-furlongs in her first two outings.

“I believe she will handle it better,” Delgado said. “Everything you ask her to do; she will do it and that helps a lot. She's very smart. She knows what it requires to run fast.”

Delgado said Mythical, out of the winning Brethren mare Lailoni, is very well put together. Her second dam is the Grade 3-winning New York-bred Dat You Miz Blue.

“She's not the tallest one but she's really well built,” Delgado said. “She has a good chest and a really good back. One word to describe her is 'beautiful.'”

Delgado indicated that if all goes well, he hopes Mythical will return to the Spa for a third time for the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway, a seven-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies on August 30 offering a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on October 31 at Del Mar.

“I like to take it race by race, but what is in the back of our minds, if everything goes well, is to run in the Spinaway and try to make an attempt to go to the Breeders' Cup,” Delgado said.

Tiz in Sight [post 4, Jose Ortiz] proved to be very game in her June 25 debut at Churchill Downs, stalking a sharp early pace from post 1-of-10 and prevailing by a neck in the five-furlong sprint under returning rider Jose Ortiz.

Trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse for Gary Barber and Peter Deutsch, the Tiz the Law bay was game down the lane, being leaned on by a lugging in Where Luck Lives, but surging clear of that rival and overtaking Miss Complicated and Wakuda to win in a final time of 57.80. The winning effort registered a 61 Beyer.

“She was very impressive. Much more impressive than the time or Beyer would indicate. She got a lot of things right in that race and showed a lot of determination,” Casse said.

Casse indicated he is not interested in wasting energy in a speed duel with the likely prohibitive favorite Mythical.

“I don’t know if there is anybody who can even get close to that filly early. So, we are not going to change our style,” Casse said. “This is just one race. I’m hoping that she turns out to be good enough to be competitive in some of the route races later in the fall. We are not going to lose sight of that. I know if we chase her [Mythical], we have no chance, so we are not going to chase her.

“We’re going to let her do her thing and hopefully pick up the pieces late,” Casse continued. “I’d like to see a good effort out of our filly. I think she is going to go forward and do big things, so Sunday is important, but it is not the end goal.”

The $85,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the winning Pioneerof the Nile mare Hindsight – a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Fibber. Her second dam, Grade 3-winner Devious Intent, is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed millionaire Pioneer Spirit.

Edward Childs and R.A. Hill Stable’s New York-bred Iron Orchard [post 6, Joel Rosario] strolled to a geared-down 5 1/2-length debut score sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs against restricted maiden auction company on July 3 here.

Trained by Danny Gargan, the $500,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase broke alertly and dictated terms through splits of 22.44 and 46.37 under returning Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario. She was six lengths in front at the stretch call and prevailed in-hand in a final time of 1:05.46 to earn a 75 Beyer.

Iron Orchard, who entered her debut with a trio of bullet works, breezed back a half-mile in 48.83 July 25 over the Spa main track. Bred by Pine Ridge Stable, she is out of the multiple stakes-placed Brethren mare Onebrethatatime, a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Wonderlandbynight.

Repole Stable’s New York-bred Angel Gift [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] drew off to a four-length score on debut, besting a field of seven in a local 5 1/2-furlong restricted maiden auction event on June 8.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, a five-time Adirondack winner, Angel Gift rallied from fifth and three lengths off the pace to score in a final time of 1:05.25 and earn a 61 Beyer.

The $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale purchase, a half-sister to dual Grade 1-winner Cave Rock, is out of the graded stakes-winning Bellamy Road mare Georgie’s Angel – a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Lawn Ranger. She was bred in the Empire State by Kathleen Burke Schweizer and Daniel J. Burke.

A talented field includes maiden winners Spa Prospector [post 2, Dylan Davis], a $450,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase trained by Tom Amoss; and Meringue [post 5, Flavien Prat], a last-to-first debut winner in June at Churchill Downs for trainer Rodolphe Brisset.

The Adirondack is slated as Race 4 on Sunday’s 10-race card which also features the Grade 2, $300,000 Troy in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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