Ballston Spa Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Brown Pleased With Viadera Win In Ballston Spa, Points Jack Christopher To Champagne

Chad Brown saddled a pair of winners Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with Viadera scoring in the $400,000 Grade 2 Ballston Spa and Jack Christopher impressing on debut to extend the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer's meet-leading win total to 32 [eight more than Mike Maker and Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher] heading into Day 34 of the 40-day summer meet.

Juddmonte homebred Viadera, a 5-year-old daughter of Bated Breath, was one of three entrants in the six-horse field along with pacesetter Tamahere [4th] and Kalifornia Queen [3rd].

Tamahere set strong splits of :22.60, :47.55, and 1:12.12 on the firm inner turf as Viadera saved ground in third under Joel Rosario. Viadera advanced up the rail through the final turn and angled out in the stretch run to reel in her stablemate and hold off the late charge of High Opinion.

Viadera, who capped her 2020 with a first Grade 1 score in the Matriarch at Del Mar, entered Saturday's test from a troubled fourth in the De La Rose on August 8 at the Spa.

“She had so much trouble in her first start of the year here and I was proud of her to come back on short rest and still get it done,” Brown said.

Viadera is likely to target the $400,000 Grade 1 First Lady on October 9 at Keeneland.

Jim Bakker and Gerald Isbister's Jack Christopher earned a 92 Beyer for his winning debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight for juveniles, powering to an 8 3/4-length score as the even-money favorite.

The Munnings chestnut, a $135,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale, exited post 5 in the seven-horse field under Jose Ortiz and settled in second position before taking command.

“I was very pleased. The word was out. He had worked well and he ran to his works, which is always a relief for a trainer,” Brown said.

Brown said Jack Christopher will point to the $500,000 Grade 1 Champagne on October 2 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., a one-turn mile offering a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Brown saddled Royal Flag and Dunbar Road to respective third and fourth-place finishes Saturday in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign presented by Lia Infiniti.

Royal Flag, a 5-year-old Candy Ride chestnut, entered from a score in the Grade 3 Shuvee on July 25 at the Spa, while Dunbar Road, a 5-year-old Quality Road bay, was looking to secure her first win since taking the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap last July.

While multiple Grade 1-winner Letruska won the nine-furlong test gate-to-wire, Royal Flag closed willingly to complete the trifecta, a head in front of Dunbar Road, who was forced in at the start under Flavien Prat, and had to rally six-wide down the lane.

“Dunbar Road had a bit of an unfortunate trip as she fell a little far out of it after missing the break and went quite wide,” Brown said. “Royal Flag had her normal trip that worked out just fine. I was proud of both of their efforts. A really great filly won the race.”

Peter Brant and Robert V. LaPenta's Miles D, a sophomore son of Curlin, garnered a career-best 100 Beyer for his third-place effort in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers. The lightly-race Curlin chestnut, a $470,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, graduated at second asking in June at Belmont and followed with a strong runner-up effort to Dynamic One in the nine-furlong Curlin on July 30 at the Spa.

Brown said he was pleased with the effort.

“He's only run four times and he might be a little bit better at a mile and an eighth,” Brown said.

Brown also confirmed Klaravich Stables' Technical Analysis, last-out winner of the Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 21, will point to the $500,000 Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on October 15 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

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Viadera Outlasts High Opinion In Ballston Spa

Chad Brown continued his winning ways in the first graded stakes on the Travers Day card at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. With three horses entered in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa, Brown claimed two of the top three spots, with Viadera taking the stakes for 4-year-olds and up by a nose while Kalifornia Queen finished third.

With a rain shower putting a brief damper on the day's festivities, the field of six broke evenly, with Tamahere, Brown's third starter, taking the lead over Platinum Paynter and Viadera. Tamahere and Platinum Paynter were several lengths ahead early, setting fractions of :22.60 for the first quarter and :47.55 for the first half-mile. As they approached the final turn, Tamahere's lead began to shrink, the field catching up to her as Platinum Paynter dropped back on the turn. Joel Rosario moved Viadera from the rail to the outside of Tamahere, positioning her for her closing run at the leader.

In the stretch, Tamahere looked like she could wire the field, Irad Ortiz, Jr. urging her to keep up the pace. To her inside, High Opinion and Luis Saez were riding the rail, taking advantage of the open lane, while Rosario had Viadera in a drive on Tamahere's outside. The two passed Tamahere and then hooked up inside the last sixteenth of a mile, with Viadera nosing out High Opinion at the wire. Kalifornia Queen, closing fast on Viadera's outside, rounded out the top three with Tamahere, New York Girl, and Platinum Paynter completing the field of six.

The final time for the 1 1/16-mile G2 Ballston Spa was 1:41.82. Find this race's chart here.

Viadera paid $3.60, $2.90, and $2.30. High Opinion paid $5.00 and $3.30. Kalifornia Queen paid $3.00.

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“Joel [Rosario] got in really good position this time and made sure there weren't too many horses in front of him in his way when he wanted to make his run. She got a nice, pocketed ground-saving trip, and once again she showed that she knows where the wire is. She's won a couple of close photo finishes now in her career,” Brown said after the race.” She has an affinity for the wire, this horse. If you train horses long enough you'll realize that certain horses know where it is on the winning end and some seem to come up on the losing end. She's one of the ones who knows where it is.”

“I think last time she was coming off a long layoff and the pace didn't work out all that well [fourth in the Faisg-Tipton De La Rose on August 8]. It was better here. She was sharper and I still thought the filly on the inside [High Opinion] probably had momentum on us going to the line, but she just has a way of always getting her nose down on the line,” Garrett O'Rourke, Juddmonte general manager, told the NYRA Press Office after the Ballston Spa. “She keeps winning photo finishes and everyone wants a horse with ability, but that competitive edge is fantastic as well.”

“It was a better trip today with horses being in front and I was able to track there for a little bit. Turning for home, I was clear. She always tries really hard. She's a very good filly,” Rosario said after the race. “At the last minute, I knew the horse was coming inside [High Opinion], but she was so game and fighting going forward, so I was never worried about it, but that horse came very close.”

Bred and owned by Juddmonte Farms, Viadera (GB) is a 5-year-old mare by Bated Breath (GB) out of the Beat Hollow (GB) mare, Sacred Shield (GB). The Ballston Spa is her first win of 2021, following a fourth-place finish in the De La Rose at Saratoga on Aug. 8. Her lifetime record is seven wins in 15 starts for career earnings of $618,641.

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Brown Trio Heads Ballston Spa

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle half of the six-horse field in the GII Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga Saturday. Brown's trio is led by GI Matriarch S. winner Viadera (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}). The 5-year-old mare opened her stateside campaign with a fourth-place effort in last year's GIII Intercontinental S. before culminating a three-race win streak in the Matriarch last November. In her lone start this year, she was a troubled fourth in the Aug. 8 De La Rose S.

“She had a lot of trouble last time, but she got something out of it and hopefully can move forward off short rest,” Brown said of the Juddmonte homebred.

Kalifornia Queen (Ger) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), a group winner in her native Germany last May, captured her first U.S. victory in a Belmont optional claimer over the Ballston Spa's 1 1/16-mile distance June 13 and is coming off a late-closing second in the nine-furlong GIII Matchmaker S. at Monmouth Park July 17.

“She ran great last time. Cutting her back and taking the blinkers off have done her well,” Brown said of Kalifornia Queen.

Brown's Ballston Spa trio is completed by Tamahere (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Winner of last year's GII Sands Point S. at Belmont Park in her U.S. debut, the 4-year-old filly opened 2021 with a runner-up effort in the Apr. 10 GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland. She was a well-beaten ninth in the June 5 GI Just a Game S. and is coming off a runner-up effort over the Ballston Spa's course and distance in a July 28 optional claimer.

Brown will be seeking his record-extending sixth victory in the Ballston Spa, having saddled Zagora (2012), Dacita (2015), Lady Eli (2017), Quidura (2018) and Significant Form (2019) to wins in the race.

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Starship Jubilee Defeats Sistercharlie In Ballston Spa Battle Of Champions

Blue Heaven Farm's reigning Canadian Horse of the Year Starship Jubilee maintained her winning form, denying 2018 Champion Turf Female Sistercharlie a triumph off a layoff in the 32nd running of the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa going 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf course on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Kevin Attard, the 7-year-old bay mare was never off the board in her last 11 starts, carrying a three-race win streak into the Ballston Spa after capturing the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf on January 18, the Grade 3 Suwannee River on February 8 (both at Gulfstream Park) and the Grade 2 Hillsborough on March 7 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Starship Jubilee broke awkwardly out of the gate under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano from post 5 and appeared a bit rank passing the grandstand while second to the outside of Call Me Love.

“The horse broke sideways and my [right] foot hit the door,” Castellano said. “It was painful. With the pain, I tried to rate the horse and I think I grabbed a little too much. It looked like the horse was keen, but she wasn't.”

Heading into the first turn, North Broadway controlled the pace leading by 5 ½ lengths through an opening quarter mile in 24.29 seconds and extended her advantage to 10 lengths through a half in 48.18 over a firm turf course.

Starship Jubilee settled in third, just a length ahead of seven-time Grade 1-winning champion Sistercharlie. Approaching the far turn, Starship Jubilee was in an all-out drive under Castellano and took command from North Broadway at the top of the stretch with Call Me Love to her inside in second. The two battled through the final furlong with Sistercharlie flattening in third, but Starship Jubilee came out on top in a final time of 1:41.76, defeating Call Me Love by a neck. Sistercharlie finished another 1 ¼ lengths in third.

Bramble Queen and North Broadway rounded out the order of finish. Main track only entrant Another Broad was scratched.

Starship Jubilee finished third in last year's Ballston Spa beaten a half-length to Significant Form and followed up with graded stakes victories at Woodbine in the Grade 2 Canadian and Grade 1 E.P. Taylor.

Castellano has piloted her to four of her stakes wins.

“I had to fight her a little bit. She's such a great horse; to beat Sistercharlie, she's one of the best fillies in the country,” said Castellano, who previously guided Dacita (2015) and Salve Germania (2009) to Ballston Spa victories. “I think we were in the right time and the right place to beat her today. I give all the credit to my horse.

“Finally, I decided to be a little more patient and relax the horse. The way the race developed was phenomenal,” Castellano continued. “I like the way she did it. We had to take on a number one horse in the country like Sistercharlie. I think it was the right time today and the right place to beat her, not to take anything from my horse. I'm very satisfied with the way she did it today.”

Attard watched the Ballston Spa from his home base at Woodbine in Ontario and was unable to attend Saturday's race to do restrictions concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I thought Castellano rode her perfectly,” Attard said. “[North Broadway] opened up and did the job they intended her to do and set the pace up for Sistercharlie. Going into the turn, Sistercharlie was flanking us the whole way and had dead aim on us. Coming around the turn to the quarter pole, I could see Johnny V start to go to work and she didn't look like she was picking up the bit yet and I thought if we could just stay ahead of her, at this point, we might be able to get the advantage. The favorite didn't kick in and the one horse [Call Me Love] kept battling back. It looked like we were safe and home, but the one wouldn't lay down and made it a good fight to the finish.”

Starship Jubilee was saddled by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey.

“Shug and his crew did an incredible job helping me out,” Attard said. “Considering the situation with COVID this year, it was hard not to be able to send somebody with your own horse. But I was in great hands and that made the whole experience easier to handle. I'm looking forward to getting her home and evaluating what to do next.”

Unbeaten in four starts this year, Starship Jubilee, who returned $8.20 for a $2 win bet, enhanced her record to 36-18-5-while scoring an eighth graded stakes victory in the Ballston Spa and increased her lifetime earnings to $1,608,667. She was claimed for a frugal $16,000 in January 2017.

“I kept saying to the TV, 'give me a little more, mama,' and she did. She pinned her ears back and kept that horse at bay,” Attard said. “She's just a special horse. She's 7 and a lot of horses as they get older lose a step or two, but arguably, this horse has gotten better as she's gotten older. She has the will and desire to win and I'll probably never come across another horse as good as her.”

Bred in Florida by William P. Sorren, Starship Jubilee is by Indy Wind and is out of the unraced Forest Wildcat broodmare Perfectly Wild, whose dam was four-time graded stakes winner Perfect Arc.

Live racing returns on Sunday with a 10-race card which features the Grade 2, $150,000 Bernard Baruch over the Mellon turf course for 3-year-olds and upward. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

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