Athenia Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--Even though Incurable Optimist (Cure the Blues) does not appear anywhere in Edict's (Arg) (Il Campione (Chi)) pedigree, think of her as a direct descendent of the precocious 1998 New York-bred Horse of the Year, who became a top sire in Argentina. Family ties notwithstanding, there is a straight line between Incurable Optimist and Edict, who will make her first start in the U.S. in the listed $150,000 Athenia Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday. Their connections, stretching across decades, are rock solid: from owner John Behrendt, through...

In a race packed with quality fillies and mares, Technical Analysis (m, 5, Kingman {GB}--Sealife {Ire}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) posted a frontrunning score in the Athenia S. ahead of two of her stablemates. A known face in the Grade I circuits, the 8-5 favorite had last been seen finishing fifth in the GII Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga, but beaten barely two lengths in a blanket finish. She'd started her 2023 season with a runner-up effort in the Perfect Sting S. at Belmont over the summer...