Inspired by Didia’s Dream, Edict Eyes Glory at Saratoga

The daughter of Il Campione (Chi) will take on top-level competition in the G1 New York S., the first major feature of the Belmont at Saratoga meet, with Manny Franco set to take the reins

Edict will face her first Grade 1 test on the U.S.  / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (Special for Turf Diario).- The Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga will kick off this Friday with a blockbuster card that features a strong South American presence. Looking to follow in the footsteps of her compatriot Didia (Arg)—who captured the race in 2024—Argentine champion Edict (Arg) will line up for the G1 New York S. (9 1/2 furlongs, turf, $750,000), her first top-level appearance in the U.S.

Named Argentina’s Champion 3-Year-Old Filly of 2023, the daughter of Il Campione (Chi) will be making her fourth stateside start. She returned from a brief freshening just weeks ago with a sharp runner-up finish in the G3 Beaugay S. at Belmont at the Big A., falling just a half-length short of Dynamic Pricing (Ire) (Night of Thunder) in a fast-closing effort.

A homebred for Triple Alliance, Edict will have Manny Franco aboard as she steps up in both class and distance—conditions that should suit her well, as her signature victories back home came at 1800 meters in the G1 Enrique Acebaland 2000 meters in the G1 Copa de Plata.

The assignment will be anything but easy for the David Donk trainee, who faces a deep and accomplished group led by She Feels Pretty (Karakontie), a rising star who has reeled off three straight wins: the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, the G1 American Oaks, and the G3 Modesty S.

Also in the field is South African standout Gimme a Nother (SAf) (Gimmethegreenlight), a multiple Group 1 winner in her native country who has finished second in both the G2 Hillsborough S. and the G3 Modesty since arriving in the U.S.

Another major contender is Forever After All (Connect), whose dam hails from the family of the great Candy Ride (Arg). She enters off a dazzling, front-running 9-length romp in the G3 Bewitch S. at Keeneland.

Irish-bred Bellezza (Ire) (Siyouni) turned heads in her U.S. debut, capturing the G3 Sheepshead Bay S., and looks to take another step forward here. That day, fellow South African Beach Bomb (SAf) (Lancaster Bomber) was second, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, snapping a two-race graded winning streak that included the G3 The Very One and G3 Orchid. She’ll be looking for redemption.

The field of nine is rounded out by the French-bred Immensitude (Fr) (Lawman) and British-bred Miwa (GB) (Siyouni), adding further international flavor to a race that promises to be one of the early highlights of the Saratoga summer.