Saratoga: Shotgun Hottie faces 4 rivals in Sunday’s Shuvee

Graded-stakes winner Shotgun Hottie bears strong form as she guns for Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Shuvee, a nine-furlong, main-track test for older fillies and mares, at Saratoga.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, the 5-year-old Gun Runner bay enters from a pair of encouraging efforts at the distance, including a 5 3/4-length romp of the listed Allaire DuPont Distaff on May 17 at Pimlico ahead of a last-out neck defeat to multiple graded stakes-winner Scylla in the Fleur de Lis (G2) on June 29 at Churchill Downs.

There, Shotgun Hottie closed strongly through a tight seam along the rail, passing the well-regarded Taxed and Xigera before just missing to a wide-rallying Scylla, who found clear air down the center of the lane.

“She ran well last time. She was just unlucky having to get through on the rail,” said DeVaux. “She’s raced herself into form, the form that she had historically. She’s having a good run.”

Shotgun Hottie earned a career and field-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure in her Allaire DuPont Distaff conquest. The number beat her previous mark of 98, earned when making the grade in the Molly Pitcher (G3) last July at Monmouth Park to cap her past campaign.

This year, Shotgun Hottie turns to the Shuvee rather than try for a title defense in the 1 1/16-mile Molly Pitcher, slated for Saturday at Monmouth, also the race that reigning champion older dirt mare Idiomatic has pointed towards and entered.

“This race is a Grade 2. You’ve also got Idiomatic going there, who is the division leader right now, so we will come here instead,” DeVaux said regarding the decision.

Shotgun Hottie also looked for graded success this year in three 1 1/16-mile events at Oaklawn, finishing sixth in the Bayakoa (G3) in February, and fourth in both the Azeri (G2) in March and Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) in April.

Paco Lopez, aboard for her last three efforts and scores last year at Monmouth in the Molly Pitcher and Listed Lady’s Secret, retains the mount.

Misty Veil, who has a career record of 38: 8-12-5, earned a career-best 95 Beyer last out with an 8 1/2-length romp in the nine-furlong Lady Jacqueline on June 22 at Thistledown. Trained by Mike Maker, the Tonalist chestnut contested the same graded events as Shotgun Hottie at Oaklawn, finishing third in the Bayakoa, a close second in the Azeri and off-the-board in the Apple Blossom.

Maker said that after her dominant performance in the Lady Jacqueline, the 6-year-old deserves another shot against graded company.

“She’s a classy filly. No disrespect to the other horses in her last race, but it was kind of a drop in class compared to who she competed against all winter,” Maker said. “She earned the opportunity to come back here and run.”

Misty Veil began her current campaign with a win in the 1 1/16-mile Listed Pippin in January at Oaklawn. She seeks to make the grade in her seventh attempt. She is cross-entered in the Molly Pitcher.

Four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown will send out Raging Sea, a Grade 1-placed and dual Grade 3 winner. The 4-year-old Curlin chestnut looks to rebound off a fourth in the nine-furlong Ogden Phipps (G1) on June 8 at Saratoga during the Belmont Stakes racing festival.

The last-out fourth was to a trio of multiple Grade 1 winners in Randomized, Idiomatic and Pretty Mischievous. It was Raging Sea’s second start of the year, winning the 1 1/16-mile Doubledogdare (G3) in her seasonal debut on April 19 at Keeneland. In victory, she doubled up on Grade 3 victories after taking the Comely in November at Aqueduct Racetrack.

As a juvenile, Raging Sea finished a closing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland. Out of the Storm Cat mare Stormy Welcome, she is a half-sister to the multiple stakes-placed Welcoming.

Multiple graded-stakes-placed Venti Valentine returns to graded company for trainer Jorge Abreu. The 5-year-old Firing Line chestnut was a 6 3/4-length winner of the New York-bred Critical Eye last out going nine furlongs on June 9 during the Belmont Stakes racing festival.

Venti Valentine added to past state-bred stakes success in last year’s local Johnstone Mile Handicap and Finger Lakes’ Jack Betta Be Rite, in addition to the Bay Ridge and Listed Busher versus open-company in 2022 at Aqueduct. She also won the state-bred Maid of the Mist in 2021 at Belmont Park.

In her most recent graded attempt, Venti Valentine earned show honors in the one-mile Go For Wand (G3) in December at Aqueduct. She also finished a close second there on two occasions, including the Gazelle (G3) in April 2022 and Demoiselle (2) in December 2021.

Rounding out the field is the graded stakes-placed Just Katherine for trainer Jose Jimenez. The 4-year-old Justify bay stretches out in distance from a runner-up finish when defeated by a neck by Accede in the seven-furlong Bed o’ Roses (G2) on June 15 at Belmont at the Big A. She is also cross-entered in the Molly Pitcher.

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1		Shotgun Hottie Gun Runner	7.45	Cherie DeVaux Paco Lopez	2nd, 2024 Fleur de Lis G2 2024 Shuvee G2	Entered
Last Race Next Race		2nd, 2024 Fleur de Lis G2 2024 Shuvee G2
2		Venti Valentine Firing Line	5.56	Jorge R. Abreu Irad Ortiz, Jr.	1st, Critical Eye S. 2024 Shuvee G2	Entered
Last Race Next Race		1st, Critical Eye S. 2024 Shuvee G2
3		Raging Sea Curlin	7.08	Chad C. Brown Flavien Prat	4th, 2024 Ogden Phipps G1 2024 Shuvee G2	Entered
Last Race Next Race		4th, 2024 Ogden Phipps G1 2024 Shuvee G2
4		Misty Veil Tonalist	5.92	Michael J. Maker Ramon A. Vazquez	1st, 2024 Lady Jacqueline LS 2024 Molly Pitcher G3	Entered
Last Race Next Race		1st, 2024 Lady Jacqueline LS 2024 Molly Pitcher G3
5		Just Katherine Justify	5.84	Jose M. Jimenez Javier J. Castellano	2nd, 2024 Bed o’ Roses G2 2024 Molly Pitcher G3	Entered
Last Race Next Race		2nd, 2024 Bed o’ Roses G2 2024 Molly Pitcher G3