| Monday, August 18, 2014 Contact: Phil Janack pjanack@nyrainc.com Rice taking two shots in Union Avenue (NYB) SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Two days before she looks to become the first female to win the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers, trainer Linda Rice will send out the pair of Champagne Ruby and Uncle Southern in the $100,000 Union Avenue on Thursday at Saratoga Race Course. The 11th renewal of the Union Avenue, named for the main thoroughfare lined with historic homes adjacent to the storied racetrack, drew a group of six New York-bred female sprinters going 6 ½ furlongs on the main track. Champagne Ruby, the lone 3-year-old in the field, and Uncle Southern are the only horses heading into the race off victories. Owned by Rice's father, Clyde, Champagne Ruby won the Niagara Stakes for state-breds August 9 at Finger Lakes in her return to dirt following a seventh-place finish in a New York Stallion Series turf stakes in June at Belmont Park. Uncle Southern, a 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Camie owned by J and M Racing Stables, captured an off-the-turf optional claiming allowance at Saratoga on July 31 by 3 ½ lengths. Two of her three lifetime wins have come at the Spa, including a maiden turf sprint victory in August 2012. "She's won her two-other-than [allowance] condition, so I could go to a non-statebred a-other-than with her, but I thought this was worth looking at," Rice said. "I can run her an a-other-than at any time. She's coming into the race well. "Champagne Ruby won out at Finger Lakes and she seems to like to sit off the pace and be a come-from-behind sprinter. She's in good shape. She doesn't have a lot of conditions left, either, so I thought it was worth a look for her, also." Luis Saez returns to ride Uncle Southern, 10-1, from post 5, while Cornelio Velasquez takes the reins on Champagne Ruby, 12-1, from post 6. Sunny Desert will be making her first start in nearly five months and only her second since April 2013 in the Union Avenue. She ran third behind Grade 2 winner La Verdad in the Broadway Stakes at Aqueduct on March 29 before going to the sidelines. "She just kind of got a little sore on me and I had to back up on her and give her some time," trainer Bruce Levine said. "She's doing good. I would have loved to have gotten one more breeze into her, but I've got to get her started. She worked good the other day. I popped her out of the gate and she went a good five-eighths. Her last two works were real good." Owned by Saul and Max Kupferberg, Sunny Desert won six straight and eight of 10 races between March 2012 and April 2013, six of them in stakes, five against fellow state-breds, for previous trainer John Parisella. She is 8-3-2 with purses of $431,750 in 15 lifetime starts. "She's just an easy-training filly. She's a sweetheart," Levine said. "John had her and he did an outstanding job with her, just outstanding. He claimed her for $35,000. I'm just hoping to keep her as good as he did." Second choice on the morning line at 8-5, Sunny Desert will carry jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. and 120 pounds from post 3. The 122-pound highweight in the Union Avenue is Vicki's Dancer, who returns to the dirt after three straight grass starts for trainer Rudy Rodriguez. A New York Stallion Series stakes winner going seven furlongs on dirt last November, the 5-year-old Disco Rico mare was most recently sixth by 3 ¾ lengths in a one-mile turf allowance at Saratoga, beaten two necks for third after jockey Joel Rosario had to steady and alter course in mid-stretch. "They went very, very slow that day and she didn't have the pace to sit behind," Rodriguez said. "Joel got in a little bit of trouble in the stretch and he just eased the horse and that was it. Hopefully, she gives us a little bit more run this time. "We could run her a mile and a sixteenth, but I don't think she wants to go that far so we'll put her back on the dirt," he added. "The race is tough. We'd like to be on the grass, but she's a very sound horse so we'll give her another chance." Vicki's Dancer will break from post 4 at 6-1 on the morning line with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons. Rounding out the Union Avenue field are 7-5 program favorite Risky Rachel, the 2012 Union Avenue winner who has two wins and two seconds in four career starts at Saratoga; and Make the Moment, most recently fourth in a six-furlong allowance at the Spa on July 30. The field for the $100,000 Union Avenue (NYB): -30- | 
