SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Danny Gargan hopes to kick off the summer Saratoga meet like he ended the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival here last month. Gargan, who won the June 8 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga with longshot Dornoch, on Thursday sends out Complexion in the $175,000 Schuylerville Stakes, the featured event on the 11-race opening-day card that ushers in the 40-day meet. The Schuylerville, for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs on the main track, goes as race 10 on an 11-race card that begins at 1:10 p.m. The potential for a wet track could raise the degree of difficulty for handicapping a field of 11 maiden winners, none of whom have won over a wet surface. Complexion, a daughter of Complexity who brought $400,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale, overcame a stumble at the start to clear the field from her outside post and cruise to a 6 1/2-length victory on June 14 at Aqueduct. “If she doesn’t stumble, how far would she have been in front the other day?” Gargan said. “You don’t see a horse stumble and still clear, do you?” Complexion, who will be ridden by John Velazquez from post 5, is fast; so too are others, including Viggiedal, trained by Steve Asmussen, a front-running, five-length winner of her debut on June 14 at Churchill. She was a $350,000 2-year-old in training purchase after breezing a furlong in 9.60 seconds at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale. Asmussen also sends out Aoraki, a debut winner at Churchill Downs who was beaten a head by Whatintheliteral in the Astoria here June 6. :: Gain a competitive edge at Saratoga with DRF's premier handicapping data — purchase our meet packages today and bet with confidence. “Viggiedal is very quick, couldn’t have looked better winning first time out,” Asmussen said. “But I don’t think there’s any substitute for Aoraki having two races, having a run over that track, and training there.” Aoraki beaks from the rail under Joel Rosario. Viggiedal has post 10 and will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione. Whatintheliteral has had three races, including her game, front-running victory at 13-1 in the Astoria. She too has remained in Saratoga to train for Jena Antonucci. While Whatintheliteral raced on the pace in the Astoria, she also ran well from off the pace in her second start, at Keeneland. Thursday, Whatintheliteral breaks from post 8 under Javier Castellano. “I love the 8 for her. [Castellano] can watch the race unfold a little bit and put her where he wants to,” Antonucci said. “Pace doesn’t matter, either way, that’s a lovely option to have.” Another quick filly is Long Neck Paula, a debut winner going 4 1/2 furlongs for Wesley Ward on May 2 at Churchill Downs. She was entered in but had to scratch from the Astoria when Ward, without stewards’ permission, sent the filly off the grounds at Saratoga for a cold-water spa treatment within 48 hours of the race. Slang, trained by Norm Casse, won a maiden race at Churchill Downs in her second start, which came three weeks after she ran fourth behind Vodka With a Twist, that filly coming back to win the Debutante at Churchill Downs. Casse said the two races in close proximity were by design and was something he did last year with Rhyme Schemes, who, in his third start, won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports “We started that last year, where if we got horses ready quick enough early on in the meet at Churchill we went ahead and ran them even if they were not [totally] ready,” Casse said. “We used that first race as the equivalent of a few breezes.” Casse, who won the 2021 Schuylerville with Pretty Birdie, said he has been impressed by Slang’s tenacity, noting that even in defeat first out – over a wet track – she showed some fight to finish fourth. Mark Casse, Norm’s father, sends out debut winner Sherbini in the Schuylerville. She won a maiden race restricted to 2-year-old fillies who sold or who failed to meet their reserve at auction for $50,000 or less. She came from off the pace in an 11-horse field. “I thought it was very impressive. She ran fast, encountered a little traffic,” Mark Casse said. “It wasn’t one of these where she broke on the lead and just took off.” :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Carmen’s Candy Jar, was an off-the-pace debut winner against New York-breds at Aqueduct for trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won the Schuylerville six times, but not since 2016. West Memorial, who beat males in the Kentucky Juvenile before finishing fifth in the Astoria; Dreamgirl, who won the slower half of split divisions of a maiden race on June 14 at Churchill; and The Queens M G, last as the favorite in the Astoria, complete the field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.