Xcellence Tops the Field for $500,000 Sands Point

Tabbed as the morning line favorite at odds of 3-1 is Xcellence, one of two horses Chad Brown will saddle in the race. Bred in France, the sophomore daughter of Champs Elysees (GB) made her stateside debut with a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Oaks (G1) in July. She was third, beaten under a length, in the Lake Placid (G2) last time out. She has won two of her nine starts, including a Group 3 victory in her native France, and will break from the inside post under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Daring Dancer a potential star on the rise

Second choice on the morning line at odds of 7-2 is Daring Dancer, aEhomebred for Sagamore Farm trained by Graham Motion. The lightly-raced daughter of Empire Maker earned the fourth win of her five-race career and her first against graded stakes competition last time out with a narrow win in the Lake Placid (G2). John Velazquez has picked up the mount for the first time and they will break from post eight.  She has been training steadily at Fair Hill since that last race.

High-priced Miss Besilu going for first stakes win

Also in the field is the high-priced Miss Besilu for trainer Bill Mott. A $2.6 million purchase as a weanling, the bay daughter of Medaglia d’Oro is switching back to the turf after a third place finish in the Alabama (G1). Both of her career victories have come on the grass though she has yet to win against stakes competition. Jose Lezcano, her regular rider, will be back in the irons and the pair will break from post position three.