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Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle a quartet of graded stakes-winning distaffers in attempt to maintain his dominance of the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana for older fillies and mares going nine furlongs over the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course.

One would be hard pressed to find a trainer with as much superiority in a Grade 1 as Brown has in the Diana having won a record seven prior editions, including six of the last seven runnings with Dacita [2016], Lady Eli [2017], Sistercharlie [2018-19], Rushing Fall [2020] and In Italian [2022]. He earned his first Diana coup with Zagora in 2011.

Entering four contenders for the Diana is nothing new for Brown, who on three previous occasions saddled a tetrad of runners for the prestigious race en route to victory. Last year, Peter Brant's In Italian led a Brown-trained superfecta that included graded stakes winning runner-up Technical Analysis followed by Grade/Group 1-winners Bleecker Street and Rougir.

“We point to this race every year,” Brown said. “Luckily, we've had a lot of great fillies over the years that have had great success in the race. This year, I think we have a really nice group of fillies as well.”

The 85th running of the Diana features defending winner In Italian, who is sure to flaunt her usual pacesetting tactics. The 5-year-old Dubawi mare enters from a gate-to-wire victory in the Grade 1 Just a Game on June 9 at Belmont Park. She has earned a triple digit Beyer Speed Figure in each of her last five starts, beginning with last year's Diana – where she was the highest price of Brown's four entrants.

She utilized her early foot to capture the Grade 1 First Lady on October 8 at Keeneland over stablemate and eventual Champion Female Turf Horse Regal Glory before finishing second in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November at Keeneland. In April, In Italian picked up where she left off, wiring the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland en route to her Just a Game score.

“She prefers to run right on the lead if she can get there. I think she's able to stalk horses, too,” Brown said. “When she can create her owns trips, she's in much better form that way.”

In Italian, bred in Great Britain by Fairway Thoroughbreds, is out of the group stakes winning Australian-bred Redoute's Choice mare Florentina. Her sixth dam is influential matriarch Best in Show.

In Italian will emerge from post 2 in rein to Irad Ortiz, Jr. who piloted Dacita and Lady Eli to their Diana scores.

Juddmonte will look to earn their third Diana score with Whitebeam [post 5, Flavien Prat] following past success with Tates Creek [2002] and Proviso [2010].

Initially campaigned overseas by Harry and Roger Charlton, Whitebeam made her Brown debut when a late-closing second beaten a neck to Evvie Jets in the one-mile Plenty of Grace on April 16 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The 4-year-old daughter of Caravaggio stretched out to capture the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Gallorette on May 20 at Pimlico Race Course, fending off a late rally from next out graded-stakes winner Sopran Basilea to win by 2 1/2 lengths.

“In her first time in the states, she got jammed up wide off a slow pace,” said Brown of the Plenty of Grace effort. “I think she really moved forward having that race experience over here.”

A British homebred, Whitebeam is out of the Oasis Dream mare Sleep Walk, who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Logician. Like In Italian, Whitebeam also is a direct descendant of Best in Show.

Brown and Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables have garnered plenty of top-level success over the years, but seek their first collaborative Diana win with Marketsegmentation [post 3, Jose Ortiz].

The 4-year-old American Pharoah dark bay rides a three-race win streak, including the Sand Springs on April 1 and the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 7 at Belmont before stretching out past 1 1/16 miles for the first time to capture the 10-furlong Grade 1 New York on June 9 at Belmont. There, she displayed newfound frontrunning tactics and set a moderate tempo down the backstretch and held off a furious late rally from Didia to win by three-quarters of a length.

“She's won before off the pace and she can go to the front. She can do either, but in this race, I see her right off of it,” Brown said.

Out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Lonelily, Marketsegmentation was a $200,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Head of Plains Partners' homebred Fluffy Socks [post 4, Joel Rosario] enters the Diana only a slim margin away from achieving millionaire status [$994,580] and was last seen capturing the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile in her seasonal debut on May 6 at Churchill Downs.

That score was the 5-year-old Slumber bay's first win since capturing the Grade 2 Sands Point in October 2021 at Belmont. Fluffy Socks went 0-for-7 last year, but picked up graded-stakes placings when second in the Grade 3 Modesty at Churchill Downs, the Grade 3 Matchmaker at Monmouth Park and the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga.

“We got her season started off the right way, and hopefully this is her best year,” Brown said. “I thought a mile might have been a little short for her, but she was able to get up in time. She's in good form and has been breezing well.”

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will attempt to deny Brown another Diana coup when saddling Tracy Farmer's graded stakes victress Fev Rover [post 1, Javier Castellano].

The 5-year-old Gutaifan bay will run off two week's rest after capturing the Grade 2 Nassau on July 1 over yielding turf at Woodbine. The effort was her first start since being elevated to third in last year's Grade 1 E.P. Taylor in October at the Toronto oval.

Firing off the bench is always a tall ask, but Casse is taking some age-old advice from a fellow and late Hall of Fame inductee.

“She's coming back a little quick, but I'm going with the old Allen Jerkens line, 'When they're going good, run 'em,'” Casse said. “In her last race, there was a little give in the ground, so that's not going to hurt her feelings. She ran very well last year, but we feel she's even better now. She's very happy right now. She just got here from Toronto and is enjoying herself here.”

Previously conditioned by Richard Fahey, Fev Rover was a Group 2 winner in France and finished third in the Group 1 English 1000 Guineas in May 2021 at Newmarket. She was acquired by Farmer from the 2021 Tattersalls December Mares Sale for over $970,000 and made her North American debut when a close second in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly last July at Woodbine before capturing the Grade 2 Canadian over the same track.

Casse said Fev Rover has taken considerable steps forward since last season.

“She's matured a lot,” Casse noted. “The first couple times she ran, she just wanted to go, go, go. As she has gotten a little older, she's matured.”

Bred in Ireland by Manister House Stud, Fev Rover is out of the High Chapparal mare Laurelita.

The Diana is slated as Race 4 on Saturday's 11-race program, which also features the Grade 3, $175,000 Kelso in Race 9 and the Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford in Race 10. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

The post Chad Brown To Saddle Four Of Five Entrants In Saturday’s Diana appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Stakes-winning stablemates Candy Light and Sparkle Blue, each making their third start of the year, seek to break through with the first win of their 4-year-old season in Saturday's $100,000 Big Dreyfus at Laurel Park.

The fourth running of the Big Dreyfus for fillies and mares 3 and older is the first of three $100,000 stakes on a nine-race program, followed by the Prince George's County for 3-year-olds and up, also scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the Exceller turf course, and Caesar's Wish for fillies and mares 3 and up going one mile on the main track.

Post time is 12:25 p.m.

Fortune Racing's Candy Light, by Candy Ride, made her season debut in a one-mile optional claiming allowance May 21 at Churchill Downs and ran fifth by 2 ¼ lengths in a race where each of the top three finishers came back to win stakes in their subsequent start, including Henrietta Topham in the Mint Julep (G3).

Stretched out to 1 1/16 miles next out in a similar spot June 15 at Ellis Park, Candy Light came with a wide run to be second as the favorite, beaten 1 ¼ lengths. Both races came after concluding her sophomore season winning the Tropical Park Oaks in December, rained off the grass to Gulfstream Park's all-weather Tapeta surface.

“I was encouraged by the race at Ellis,” trainer Graham Motion said. “I thought in her first race she broke awkwardly and that hurt her chances, and probably she needed the race. I thought her second race back was very good and I'm hoping that sets her up for a stakes performance.”

Candy Light was second by a head in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight in October 2021 on the Laurel turf in her career debut. She graduated going a mile over Laurel's main track last February then ran second in the Beyond the Wire and 10th in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) before being returned to the grass where she has a win, three seconds and a third in eight tries.

“I think she handles all of the surfaces, but I do think she handles grass the best,” Motion said. “We did give her a freshening after she won the stake in Florida, not that she had to have it for any specific reason just that we thought she needed a little break. She's come back well. She's going to have to step up again. It's not an easy spot, but I think after her last two races she will be competitive. It's a good distance for her.”

Feargal Lynch rides Candy Light from Post 2 in a field of eight.

Catherine Parke and Augustin Stable's Sparkle Blue will break alongside Candy Light from Post 3 with Jorge Ruiz aboard. Out of the Smart Strike mare Silk n' Sapphire, Sparkle Blue is a half to graded-stakes winners Colonial Flag and Shared Account, the latter a millionaire trained by Motion to victory in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) that subsequently produced 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) winner Sharing.

In her two races this year Sparkle Blue was sixth by 4 ¼ lengths in the 1 1/8-mile Modesty (G3) May 5 and third, beaten 3 ½ lengths, in the 1 ½-mile Keertana May 27, both at Churchill. The Big Dreyfus will be her eighth consecutive stakes start, half of them in graded company.

“I'm not exactly sure what distance she wants to go. I thought she handled a mile and a half last time,” Motion said. “The first race I ran her at Churchill came up a very competitive race. This should give her a little bit of class relief coming out of the graded races. She's been very consistent. She's a good competitor and it's a family we've had a lot of luck with, obviously.”

Fourth behind Consumer Spending in the 2021 Selima at Laurel in her second career start, Sparkle Blue won the Christiana last July at Delaware Park to open her sophomore season, ran second in the Virginia Oaks, won the 1 1/16-mile Valley View (G3) and Keeneland and was third by less than a length in Santa Anita's American Oaks (G1) before getting the winter off.

“She was very competitive, and I think she just kept improving every time we ran her last year,” Motion said. “She's been running pretty much in graded races, so this is a little bit of class relief for her and we'll see how she handles it. I like the distance for her.”

Trainer Arnaud Delacour won the inaugural 2019 Big Dreyfus with I'm So Fancy and he returns this year with Adelphia Racing Club, Cutair Racing and Dark Horse Racing Stable's Community Adjusted. Previously trained by Christophe Clement, the 5-year-old mare made her season debut a winning one June 3 at historic Pimlico Race Course, drawing off to win a second-level optional claiming allowance by 2 ¼ lengths going 1 1/16 miles.

“That was a perfect race. She was able to save ground and come with a good run at the end. I was very happy with that, and she came back well,” Delacour said. “She's doing really well. I really like the way she's training. Of course, we are stepping up a little bit but I think she deserves a shot.”

Community Adjusted was fourth or better in eight of 11 starts for Clement with two wins, one second and one third. The Big Dreyfus will mark her stakes debut and she retains the services of jockey Victor Carrasco, aboard last out.

“I'm very happy about that. He likes the filly so we're very excited to run,” Delacour said. “She's a lovely, good-looking mare. She's a really big, strong filly with a good pedigree so it only makes sense to try to get some black type now. It's a tougher race, but hopefully she can step up and be competitive.”

Clement will be represented in the Big Dreyfus by Michaela Faust, West Point Thoroughbreds and Winters Equine's Atomic Blonde, a German-bred that the trainer picked out of the Arqana Breeding Stock sale last December in France for $316,225. She won a Group 3 going 1 ¼ miles on the grass in Milan and placed in two other European group stakes before coming arriving in the U.S.

Atomic Blonde has placed in each of her three North American starts, taking a lead into the stretch before settling for third behind stablemate Amazing Grace – who cost nearly $900,000 at the same French sale – and Personal Best in debut in the 1 ½-mile Orchid (G3) April 1 at Gulfstream Park. She followed up running third to Higher Truth and Virginia Joy in the 1 3/8-mile Sheepshead Bay (G2) May 5 and second, beaten two lengths, by Skims in a third-level optional claiming allowance June 16, both at Belmont Park.

“She's just a beautiful filly. So far, she's been ultra consistent,” West Point executive vice president Tom Bellhouse said. “A little unlucky just on race setups, but we're excited. I think we're in a good spot in the race down at Laurel and I think we'll be a contender.”

Jaime Rodriguez, who leads Laurel's ongoing summer meet standings with 16 wins, will ride Atomic Blonde from Post 6.

“We were excited to get him on her,” Bellhouse said. “This is the time of year where it's tough racing everywhere and I think she definitely fits and will gave a great account of herself.

“She's been very versatile,” he added. “Obviously, the Orchid was a huge test off the layoff. Jose Ortiz rode her that day and he made a real aggressive move on the turn and tried to kick on and win it, and we just got run down a little late. The fillies that she's been running against are all top-notch fillies. We feel really good about our chances.”

NRS Stable, James Chambers and Avalon Farm's Coconut Cake wheels back in the Big Dreyfus two weeks following her come-from-behind three-quarter-length victory in the six-furlong Jameela for Maryland-bred/sired horses July 1 over a Laurel turf rated good. Fourth, beaten two lengths, in last year's Big Dreyfus, the 6-year-old Bandbox mare was twice stakes-placed on both turf and dirt before breaking through in the 1 1/8-mile Maryland Million Ladies last October.

William Pape's homebred Deciding Vote was second at odds of 11-1 in the Big Dreyfus after winning Laurel's Dahlia and running fourth in Parx's Neshaminy to open 2022. The overall Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series champion last year is again making her third start off the layoff in the Big Dreyfus, having run fourth in the Dahlia and most recently second in the PTHA President's Cup June 18 at Parx.

Also entered are Lugamo Racing Stable's Lady Puchi, runner-up in the 2022 Searching at Laurel racing first time for trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon; and Super C Racing's Cupid's Strike, a two-time winner that was fifth in last year's off-the-turf Searching.

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