Saratoga 2024: The Queens M G pulls off 44-1 stakes upset

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The summer meet at Saratoga is known for long shots and upsets in important races. That is exactly what happened on opening day Thursday when The Queens M G won the listed Schuylerville Stakes at 44-1, the longest shot on the board, triggering huge payouts in all the pari-mutuel wagers.

The Queens M G was purchased for $3,500 as a yearling and won her debut race at Keeneland in April at 45-1 for trainer Israel Acevedo, beating a field of 11 by a head after a battle down the stretch. After the race the 2-year-old filly was bought privately by the current ownership group of C2 Racing Stable and Mathis Stable and was sent to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. at Gulfstream Park.

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Joseph opted to send her to the Belmont Stakes meeting at Saratoga to run in the Astoria. She was bet down to be the 2-1 favorite and finished last after a rough start and then getting bumped around in the early going.

“Last time at Saratoga she was the favorite, and she didn’t even show up,” Joseph said. “She ran as poor as a horse could run, and we were feeling really down. She checked out after the race fine, and we couldn’t find any soundness issue. She was bumped hard in her last start. A lot of things went against her that day, but we don’t know why she ran bad.”

The Queens M G stayed at Saratoga and had one timed workout five days before the Schuylerville.

“I figured we’d carry forward like that race didn’t exist and train her to the Schuylerville,” Joseph said.

The daughter of Thousand Words broke alertly from post 11 with rider Dylan Davis in the six-furlong race Thursday and was able to settle in third place on the outside behind Aoraki and the favorite Viggiedal. Those two set fast early fractions of 21.89 and 45.19 seconds.

The Queens M G began to take over the race after a half-mile, where he got within a head of Aoraki. By the time they hit the top of the stretch, The Queens M G began to draw away as the early speed horses faded badly to finish fifth and sixth. The dark bay filly was ahead by 2 1/2 lengths at the stretch call and finished 2 3/4 in front at the wire.

The winning time was 1:11.31 on a track that dried to fast after overnight rain that forced the five turf races that were on the undercard to be moved to the dirt.

“She just broke well. Took the nice, easy trip on the outside,” Davis said. “She got really comfortable on me, and I liked what I felt, just easing her into the stretch, waiting for her to switch leads, and after that she responded for me nicely down the stretch. When I warmed her up without the pony, I was really surprised, because she was a long shot, and she felt really good warming up, so I was really excited for the gates to open up.”

For this upset at Saratoga, the winner paid $91.00, $30.40 and $14.20 for a $2 across-the-board wager. Sherbini was 7-1 and finished second producing a $2 exacta of $929.00. With 6-1 third-place finisher Long Neck Paula, the $2 trifecta yielded $8,064.00. The $1 daily double ending with The Queens M G paid $496.00, and the $1 Pick 3 was $2,423.50.

During the running of the race Slang was pulled up on the backstretch by jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., and the track veterinarian reported that she was uninjured.

In another incident, Keith McCalmont from the NYRA press office reported on X, “Whatintheliteral unseated Javier Castellano at the break, and the horse was collared and walked home. Castellano visited first aid and is cleared to ride.”

The next races for 2-year-fillies are the Grade 3, $200,000 Adirondack (G3) on Aug. 4 and the $300,000 Spinaway (G1) on Aug. 31.

“I would think if all goes well, she’ll come right back in the second leg of the series (the Adirondack),” Joseph said. “We’ll talk it over with the owners, but that would be the plan. I don’t think there’s any reason to wait around.”

The winner has paid at least 19-1 in three of the last five runnings of the Schuylerville, the 2-year-old fillies race that is the traditional feature on opening day at Saratoga. The favorite has not won the race since Fashion Alert in 2014.