23-06-2025
'Good Spot For Her': Striker Has Dial Targets Honorable Miss For Graded Stakes Debut
'Good Spot For Her': Striker Has Dial Targets Honorable Miss For Graded Stakes Debut originally appeared on Paulick Report.
Chief Horse Futures' Striker Has Dial is on track for a targeted start in the Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, on July 20 at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 4-year-old Dialed In bay was a hard-fought second in the six-furlong Skipat (L) on Preakness Day May 17 at Pimlico Race Course, finishing 1 1/2 lengths behind Zeitlos, who exited to run third in Saturday's Grade 2 Chicago at Churchill Downs.
'We are pointing her to the Honorable Miss. I think the six furlongs will be a good spot for her,' said De Paz. 'We gave her some time off after Pimlico and now she is back and breezing. We'll have to see how competitive she is there.'
De Paz believes the spacing between races might work to Striker Has Dial's benefit. She has made three starts already this year, winning a pair of six-furlong optional claimers in January and March at Aqueduct Racetrack, the former returning a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure.
'She ran all winter. Since last year, even. She broke her maiden last May and has been going steady since,' De Paz said. 'Her last race was a brave effort on her part, coming off two of her top numbers, too, so she was maybe going to regress a little bit. Honestly, that was still a very good run.'
Striker Has Dial was also second in the restricted Wilton in July at the Spa, among her 11-3-5-1 record with $251,172 in earnings.
De Paz outlined some potential plans for other Spa stakes horses in the barn, including Sounds Like a Plan, who is possible for the state-bred $150,000 Rick Violette on July 17; as well as Awesome Czech and Can't Fool Me, who will utilize an allowance race to prep for a start in the state-bred $150,000 Yaddo on August 22.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
