Saturday is the $500,000-dollar, Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course.
It is the second of three prestigious races for 3-year-old fillies in New York. The CCA Oaks follows the Acorn Stakes in June and precede the Alabama Stakes in August.
Here is a brief look at the field for Saturday’s Contest:
1. COUNTING STARS [ML 2-1] Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Trainer: Mark Casse. Ran a solid 3rd in the Kentucky Oaks, then upped her game last out with an impressive victory in the Acorn. That win was her first start over the track at Saratoga. She has run a few clunkers in her career but has been very good in her four most recent starts.
2. DANDONA [ML 20-1] Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione. Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. Tough spot for a young filly who’s made her last four starts on turf. She won a Graded Stakes on grass back in March but in two starts since has fallen short of late against quality opponents. Her breeding suggests that she will handle the main track, and she did win her debut on dirt back in August 2025, a race rained of the turf.
3. LA RASCASSE (SCRATCHED) Jockey: Axel Concepcion. Trainer: Will Walden.
4. MISS FULTON [ML 30-1] Jockey: Jaime Rodriguez. Trainer: Mike Gorham. She is coming in off her second career Stakes victory. Unfortunately, that win at Delaware Park was against a less talented group than she will see at Saratoga. She was no match for the top ones in the Black-Eyed Susan two starts back. A major jump in class for her here.
5. MEASURE [ML 15-1] Jockey: Manny Franco. Trainer: Mark Casse. After showing some progress as a 2-year-old, she did not make it back to the races until May. Her return was meh, but she improved to finish 2nd last time out. Another step forward Saturday could put her in the mix, but she has very little early speed. More likely to round out exotics.
6. ALWAYS A RUNNER [ML 9-5] Jockey: Jose Ortiz. Trainer: Chad Brown. She reached the top of the 3-year-old filly division after her win in the Kentucky Oaks in only her third career start, but she lost a little bit of the shine in the Acorn when she was no match for COUNTING STARS. Still, she ran a solid race while suffering her first career defeat.
7. DIRECTIVE [ML 6-1] Jockey: Flavien Prat. Trainer: Chad Brown. Has done little wrong to this point in her career. Ran 2nd in her career debut, she has won her last two, including an Allowance win over this track last month. That victory as the odds-on favorite was slightly underwhelming when beating MEASURE by one length. This well-bred filly is capable of a move forward but it’s a tough spot for her Stakes debut.
8. ZANY [ML 9-2] Jockey: John Velazquez. Trainer: Todd Pletcher. She was a very slight favorite in the Kentucky Oaks but did not have much punch in the stretch run. She was also upset at low odds in the Ashland Stakes before that. She’s been given plenty of time for her return. In order to be competitive, she needs to revert to her best form while adding blinkers for Saturday’s contest.
9. NYCON [ML 30-1] Jockey: Luis Saez. Trainer: Whit Beckman. This well-bred filly returns after nearly four months away from racing. She showed promise early on in her career but was unable to close the deal in her first three Stakes attempts. She certainly could improve with maturity, but lands in a difficult spot for her comeback race.
The Coaching Club American Oaks is slated as race 10 on a card of 12 with a scheduled Post Time of 5:45.
Best of luck however you play it.
