Klaravich Stables' even-money favorite Technical Analysis again displayed an affinity for the turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., improving to 2-for-2 this meet after leading gate-to-wire for a 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Lake Placid for sophomore fillies contesting 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon course.
The 38th edition of the Lake Placid saw Technical Analysis build on her 1 1/4-length score in the one-mile Grade 3 Lake George over firm going on July 23 by relishing a yielding turf course. Breaking alertly from post 2 under jockey Jose Ortiz, the Irish-bred daughter of Kingman led the six-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :24.68 and the half in :50.03 with Spanish Loveaffair in close pursuit.
Technical Analysis maintained the lead out of the final turn, swinging wide entering the top of the stretch but undeterred. Ortiz helped the pacesetter maintain her advantageous position, using right-handed encouragement that kept Technical Analysis to task. She drew away in the final furlong, completing the course in 1:46.49 in outkicking a charging Runaway Rumour.
“We knew there was no speed in there, so our options were limited,” Ortiz said. “We didn't want to get stuck being behind a slow pace. The turf was pretty soft, but this filly is bred in Ireland and she liked it. I've ridden her before on [good] turf and I knew she was going to handle it well. I knew it would be to our advantage.”
Trainer Chad Brown captured the Lake Placid for the third time in the last four runnings, while Technical Analysis won for the fourth time in six career starts and for the third time in four races as a 3-year-old.
“The more we work with this horse, she just keeps getting faster and stronger and bigger,” Brown said. “I can see that she's willing in her works and I just don't want to take anything away from her. Too often, we've been caught in these paceless races where sometimes we have the best horse and it blows up on you. So, if my horses have some speed, like this one, I'm going to send them out there.”
Technical Analysis returned $4.20 on a $2 win wager. She improved her career earnings to $298,200.
Brown compared Technical Analysis to Dayatthespa, who won the 2014 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in gate-to-wire fashion en route to Champion Grass Mare honors that year.
“This filly is starting to remind me of a nice horse we used to train named Dayatthespa and I told Jose that in the paddock,” Brown said. “She ended up being a champion horse for us down the road and as she got older, she showed a lot of speed and went to the lead. I can see a lot of similarities with this horse, so I'm not going to take anything away from her.
“She's a high-energy horse and my team has just done a fabulous job with her,” Brown added. “We've found a few things to sweeten her up and get along with her and it's really working.”
Lawrence Goichman's New York homebred Runaway Rumour, ridden by Jose Lezcano, bested Ego Trip by a half-length for runner-up honors. The Jorge Abreu trainee earned her first graded stakes placing after running a competitive fourth in the Lake George last month.
“She's a nice filly. She struggled today with the track, but she still tried very hard to run a good race,” Lezcano said. “Whenever I asked her, she kept on trying. The turf is very soft. My filly was never comfortable the whole way.”
Spanish Loveaffair, Illogami, and Lovestruck completed the order of finish.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $120,000 Summer Colony, a nine-furlong main track event for older fillies and mares who have not won a graded stakes race in 2021. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern.
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