Le Mi Geaux faces Pletcher challenge in Spinaway

The lone graded stakes winner in Sunday's $250,000

Spinaway S. (G1) at Saratoga is Schuylerville S. (G3) heroine LE MI GEAUX

(First Samurai), but the juvenile miss will face a formidable challenge when

trainer Todd Pletcher saddles four rivals in the seven-furlong affair.

Le Mi Geaux closed to take the Schuylerville on opening day at the Spa, July

23, over a sloppy, sealed, track. Prior to that, the chestnut miss dominated a

Churchill Downs maiden field by 7 1/4 lengths.

"We know she likes the track, and she ran like she'll like the extra

distance," trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said. "The pace won't really matter as she blew them out gate-to-wire in her

maiden win and came from nearly last in the Schuylerville."

Dutrow believes his filly will have to improve off her Schuylerville victory

in order to win the Spinaway.

"I think the talent of the other horses will be the key, and I hope she'll be

able to step up against them," he added.

Pletcher will be well represented in the Spinaway with four runners --

STOPSPENDINGMARIA (Montbrook), SKY HOSOYA (Bluegrass Cat), VALIANT PASSION (Lion

Heart) and R HEAT LIGHTNING (Trippi). Stopspendingmaria and Sky Hosoya, both owned by Repole Stable,

are coupled in the wagering as the 7-2 second choice following Valiant Passion's

3-1 favoritism on the morning line.

Stopspendingmaria has already faced off against Le Mi Geaux, running second

in the Schuylerville after leading into the stretch. The dark bay lass, a seven-length maiden winner at Belmont Park on July 1 in

her second start, will have John Velazquez aboard for Sunday's race.

"With Stopspendingmaria, in her last race (Schuylerville) she had to

gun from the rail over a sloppy track; we'll look to let her settle into a

rhythm," Pletcher said.

Heading the Pletcher group is Valiant Passion, who was acquired privately by Team

Valor after debuting in dominant fashion at Saratoga on August 12 while racing

for trainer Ralph Nicks. In that outing, the juvenile steadied multiple times on

the far turn, took command at the top of the stretch, and powered clear in the

lane, despite racing greenly, to a 9 1/4-length score. Julien Leparoux retains the mount aboard Valiant Passion.

"She has done well since arriving in our barn, and I hope I can get her to

run as well as Ralph was able to," Pletcher said.

The conditioner believes Sky Hosoya, a 9 3/4-length winner of a $50,000

maiden claimer at Saratoga on July 29, will set the pace in the Spinaway.

"She ran well enough last time for us to take a shot," said Pletcher of Sky

Hosoya, who will break from post 4 with Javier Castellano in the irons. "She was

a filly who cost $50,000 as a yearling, so we were willing to run her for that

claiming price, but she had trained better than her first race indicated."

E. Paul Robsham's R Heat Lightning, a five-length winner at Delaware Park on

July 5 and second in the Colleen S. at Monmouth on August 7, completes Pletcher's

fearsome foursome under Garrett Gomez.

"We were impressed by her first race, and she closed strongly at Monmouth, so

we think she'll show continued improvement with more distance," he said.

Rounding out the Spinaway field are ABIDE (Tiznow), a 3 1/2-length debut winner at Saratoga on

August 1; ALIENATION (Rock Hard Ten), runner-up in the August 15 Adirondack S.

(G2) in her first try on dirt; and COAX LIBERTY (Successful Appeal), third in the Adirondack.

Pletcher will also send out the 5-2 morning-line favorite one race prior to the Spinaway when saddling FANTASTICO ROBERTO

(Ire) (Refuse to Bend) in the $100,000

Saranac

S. (G3) going 1 3/16 miles on the turf.

The chestnut colt began his career with a

pair of victories in Italy before coming to North America, where he finished

fourth in the Spectacular Bid S. at Arlington Park and third in the Summer

S. (Can-G3) at Woodbine to close out his juvenile campaign. Second in his first two starts as a

three-year-old, Fantastico Roberto scored his first stateside victory in the Choice S. at Monmouth

on July 5, but then

finished seventh of eight after a headstrong start as the favorite in the

Jersey Derby on August 1.

"In the Saranac, he'll be reunited with John Velazquez, and we'll be taking

the blinkers off to see if we can get him to settle," said Pletcher, who has

never won the Saranac. "His race prior to the Jersey Derby was very good, and

the distance here should suit him well."

Also entered in the Saranac are DEVON ROCK (Rock Hard Ten), who was third behind Fantastico Roberto in the Choice;

stakes debuter MYSTIC (Unbridled's Song), who captured an allowance over the

course last out; LETHAL COMBINATION (Broken Vow), fourth by just a length in the

Quick Call S. and third in the Hill Prince S. (G3) in his last two; CITRUS KID

(Lemon Drop Kid), fifth in the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. (G2)

most recently; and TURF MELODY (Maria's Mon), who

was fifth in the Quick Call in his last start.