The Grade 1, $500,000 Diana Stakes is the first major race on what promises to be a fantastic summer season at historic Saratoga Race Course. Although only drawing a field of six, there is no lack of class or will to win among the group which has a combined 31 wins in 73 career starts on grass and over $3 million in earnings.
Leading the group is Bleecker Street, who is undefeated in seven races including a victory in the Grade 1 New York Stakes last month.
Creative Flair (IRE) comes in from Europe off a win in the G2 Balanchine Stakes in her first start as a 4-year-old and could be a superstar in the making.
Technical Analysis (IRE) brings a strong record of five wins in nine starts, including three graded stakes, most recently the G3 Gallorette Stakes.
Rougir (FR) won the G3 Beaugay Stakes in May before a fifth place finish behind Bleecker Street in the New York Stakes.
Dalika (GER), in spite of seven months off, ran very well last month when leading from the start before settling for second in the G3 Mint Julep Stakes and is another who fits at the highest level for female horses on the turf.
In Italian (GB) won the G3 Honey Fox Stakes in March before a third place finish most recently in the G1 Just a Game Stakes.
Top contenders:
Not only is Bleecker Street undefeated in seven career starts going back to last August, she appears to have the most powerful late kick in the field. Whether the early pace is fast, or even exceedingly slow, she should be tough to hold off. Her last four wins came in graded stakes, including two at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Diana. The first of those was in the Hillsborough Stakes in March where Bleecker Street earned a career-best 113 
Equibase® Speed Figure. Although earning 109 and 103 figures, respectively, in the Modesty Stakes and New York Stakes since then, the manner in which she won those races suggests there is little to keep her from remaining undefeated. In the Modesty, Bleecker Street lagged in eighth among nine horses for most of the race then when asked to run hard after entering the stretch ran the final eighth of a mile in 11.2 seconds while rallying from seventh. Cutting back from a 1 1/4 miles in the New York Stakes to this slightly shorter trip gives the exceptional filly some extra oomph in the late stages and under North American leading jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. we might see an even more visually impressive effort in the Diana.
Creative Flair (IRE) has run seven times in Europe and twice in the states, the latter two efforts mediocre when third in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational and in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational last summer. However, she appears to be a much better horse this year as a 4-year-old as evidenced by her only start of 2022. In the Balanchine Stakes in February, Creative Flair (IRE) beat nine other horses with a big effort that earned a 110 figure. That effort came at the same distance of the Diana Stakes and can be bettered now that she's even more physically and mentally mature. When sending horses to race in North America, trainer Charles Appleby has an incredibly strong record of 13 wins (and eight runner-up finishes) in 34 starts over the last five years, perhaps most importantly with Althiqa (GB) in last year's Diana Stakes. As such, Creative Flair (IRE) appears to be the horse most capable of putting an end to the winning streak of Bleecker Street.
Technical Analysis (IRE) has done little wrong in nine races, winning five and finishing second or third in two of the other three. She enters this race off a superb pattern as she is making her third start since coming back from six months off and has earned 107 and 106 figures, respectively, when second in the Plenty of Grace Stakes in April followed by a win in the Gallorette Stakes in May. She won both her races on the Saratoga grass last season, with her win in the Lake George Stakes coming from off the pace and her win in the Lake Placid Stakes earned when leading from start to finish. With the ground saving rail for the Diana it is likely Technical Analysis (IRE) will take control of the race from the start and try to duplicate her wire-to-wire Gallorette effort and doing so is certainly not out of the question.
The rest of the field, with their best Equibase® Speed Figures, is Dalika (GER) (112), In Italian (GB) (101) and Rougir (FR) (124).
Win Contenders in preference/probability order:
Bleecker Street
Creative Flair (IRE)
Technical Analysis (IRE)
Diana Stakes – Grade 1
Race 8 at Saratoga
Saturday, July 16 – Post Time 5:03 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Eighth on Turf
Fillies and Mares, Four Years Old and Upward
Purse: $500,000
The post Equibase Analysis: Undefeated Bleecker Street May Put On A Show In Diana appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
