Last summer, the 5-year-old daughter of Liam's Map, dazzled with a perfect 2-for-2 record at Saratoga.
A competitive field of 10 seasoned filly and mare turf sprinters is poised to vie for glory on June 7 in the $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course. Set as the ninth race on a 12-race card, this thrilling dash will cover 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf Course, slightly shorter than its customary six-furlong distance at Belmont Park. Saratoga greeted a light morning rain on June 6, with evening forecasts hinting at the possibility of further showers, though chances seemed to dwindle as updated forecasts rolled in.
The morning-line favourite at 6-5, Roses for Debra, has been on a hot streak, boasting victory in five of her last seven races since joining trainer Christophe Clement's barn in the spring of 2023. Fresh off a commanding win in the Giant's Causeway Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland on April 13, this talented 5-year-old, sired by Liam's Map, conquered two stakes races at 5 1/2 furlongs on Saratoga's turf last summer, including the Caress Stakes (G3T). Bred by Blackstone Farm in Pennsylvania, Roses for Debra is proudly owned by Cheyenne Stable and John O'Meara.
Clement will also field the License Fee Stakes runner-up, Gal in a Rush, whose last graded stakes appearance saw her clinching second place in the 2021 Matron Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park.
Trainer Wesley Ward is set to double his chances with Kaufymaker and Love Reigns in the Intercontinental. Love Reigns, the 3-1 second choice, comes off a second-place finish in the Giant's Causeway Stakes, trailing Roses for Debra by 1 1/4 lengths in her first start since August 2023. Bred by Patrick Grogan and owned by Stonestreet Stables, this 4-year-old daughter of U S Navy Flag will break from the far outside post.
Kaufymaker, owned and bred by Gregory Kaufman, is anticipated to contribute to the early pace battle, alongside Everyoneloveslinda and Lady Milagro. Despite a hiatus after a close third-place finish in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T), Kaufymaker has staged a remarkable comeback, securing three wins in her last five starts since resuming racing in October 2022. The Intercontinental marks her return since finishing ninth in the Woodford Stakes (G2T) against her male counterparts at Keeneland last October.
Other contenders in the Intercontinental include Future Is Now, a Maryland-bred owned by Larry Johnson and trained by Michael Trombetta, who triumphed in the May 17 The Very One Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
Spicybug, hailing from California, arrives following an allowance-level victory under the ownership of Mike Rutherford and the tutelage of trainer Michael McCarthy. A $250,000 yearling acquisition, this 4-year-old daughter of Speightstown has notched three wins in her last four starts.
Trained by Mark Casse and owned by Gary Barber, Run for the Hills finished third in her previous outing on a yielding Churchill Downs course in the Unbridled Sidney Stakes (G3T), after seizing victory in an allowance race on good turf at Keeneland on April 7. Roses for Debra saw her four-race win streak snapped last summer with a third-place finish in the Turf Monster Stakes (G3T) on Parx Racing's yielding turf course.