Whitebeam Upsets In Italian In Diana; Chad Brown Goes 1-2

With four of the five runners, many figured Chad Brown would get a winner in the GI Diana S. Saturday but most assumed it would come via 1-5 favorite In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Instead, it was Juddmonte's Whitebeam (GB) (Carravagio) who just nosed out last year's winner to notch her first Grade I win in her third start stateside. Third best as In Italian handled the pace, Whitebeam raced outside of the Mark Casse-trained Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) through much of the early running. Inched up at the top of the stretch under the expert hands of Flavien Prat, Whitebeam needed the entire length of the lane to get by, just prevailing narrowly over In Italian with Fev Rover in third.

Saturday, Saratoga
DIANA S.-GI, $485,000, Saratoga, 7-15, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.33, fm.
1–WHITEBEAM (GB), 118, f, 4, by Caravaggio
                1st Dam: Sleep Walk (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB)
                2nd Dam: Scuffle (GB), by Daylami (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Tantina, by Distant View
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd. (GB); T-Chad C.
Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $275,000. Lifetime Record: SP-Eng,
9-5-2-1, $396,308. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–In Italian (GB), 124, m, 5, by Dubawi (Ire)
                1st Dam: Florentina (Aus) (GSW-Aus, $250,958),
                                by Redoute's Choice (Aus)
                2nd Dam: Celebria (Aus), by Peintre Celebre
                3rd Dam: Twyla (Aus), by Danehill
'TDN Rising Star'. (475,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds (GB); T-Chad C. Brown.
$100,000.
3–Fev Rover (Ire), 122, m, 5, by Gutaifan (Ire)
                1st Dam: Laurelita (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Chervil (GB), by Dansili (GB)
                3rd Dam: Nashmeel, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
(£20,000 Ylg '19 GOFFPR; 695,000gns 3yo '21 TATMA). O-Tracy
Farmer; B-Manister House Stud (Ire); T-Mark E. Casse.
$60,000.
Margins: NO, HF, 5 1/4. Odds: 7.80, 0.35, 9.20.
Also Ran: Marketsegmentation, Fluffy Socks.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

https://twitter.com/TwinSpires/status/1680289956797861890?s=20

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Graded Stakes Mark Saratoga Opening Weekend

How's your Saratoga opening weekend stakes knowledge?

You probably already knew that the Sanford S. is the only race that the legendary Man o' War ever lost. Or that over a five-year span in the '60s, the great Kelso amassed a staggering record of 63-39-12-2. You also knew that the late '80s warrior Quick Call, who lived to the ripe old age of 35, was denied a third consecutive GII Forego H. by a nose to Lay Down.

And if you are pretty sharp, then you have it down pat that the inaugural running of the Diana S. occurred the same year–1939– that Hitler invaded Poland, which was the last time mounted cavalry saw action against tanks.

Saratoga is dripping with history–it's literally in the water. The track's storied past reminds us of Max Weber's warning that, “Specialists without spirit, sensualists without heart; this nullity imagines that it has attained a level of civilization never before achieved.” In other words, we need the magic to keep us anchored, as we bob along in a digital sea of information.

With the historical juices sufficiently percolating, here's a rundown of the weekend graded action.

GI Diana S. (Saturday)
Besides trainer Charlie Appleby in 2021, no one has been able to dethrone Chad Brown in this Grade I turf event since 2016. The likelihood of another win for Brown appears imminent, were it not for the presence of Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}).

Marketsegmentation | Sarah Andrew

Trained by Mark Casse, the 5-year-old mare is a MGSW who is making her first trip down from Woodbine. “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.

Out of Brown's four entries, Peter Brant's defending champ and 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) looks best, but Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah), a 4-year-old filly owned by Klaravich Stables, is coming off a signature win June 9 in the GI New York S. at Belmont Park.

GIII Kelso S. (Saturday)
Shortening up over the grass, an experienced group of 4-year-olds and up assemble, with 'TDN Rising Star' and GISW Annapolis (War Front) serving as the standout. The Bass Stables homebred, who was second in last year's GI Saratoga Derby Invitational, won the GI Coolmore Turf Mile S. at Keeneland in October en route to a GI Breeders' Cup Mile berth.

Standing in his way is the accomplished grass miler Big Everest (GB) (The Gurkha {Ire}). Making his first graded stakes start, the 5-year-old gelding has won his last six out of seven starts.

“He was the kind of horse that, early on, he fought with the jockey,” said Big Everest's co-owner Dean Reeves. “We learned over time that he was fighting with the jockey because he had speed and wanted to go to the front. So, once we got out of his way and once he was gelded, he doesn't back up and they don't have enough to catch him.”

Also entered is the well-traveled fan-favorite, MGISW Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed), whose style for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott makes him extremely dangerous towards the wire.

GIII Sanford S. (Saturday)
Rounding out the Saturday graded action is this 2-year-old NYRA series test, which has drawn 10. Trainer Steve Asmussen watched Gold Sweep (Speightstown) romp home by nine lengths as he posted a 91 Beyer figure in the Tremont S. June 11 at Belmont Park. The Hall of Fame trainer has never won the Sanford.

Others of note include Market Street (Street Sense), trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who broke his maiden in front-running fashion over the slop by 3 3/4 lengths June 29 at Ellis Park. He will be joined by Triple Trea (Bolt d'Oro). The dark bay colt debuted a winner for Barbara Minshall with a late move in early June on Woodbine's Tapeta.

“He's really nice,” Minshall said. “He's very rideable and it looks like there's a lot of speed in the race. Hopefully, he makes his big run and can get the job done. There's some really nice horses in there–the Asmussen horse [Gold Sweep] looks really tough–but he's coming into it in good order.”

GIII Quick Call S. (Sunday)

No Nay Hudson | Coady Photography

The final graded stakes of the weekend on Sunday afternoon pits 3-year-old turf sprinters against one another. Wesley Ward has two entered in this spot with No Nay Hudson (Ire) (No Nay Never), winner last out of the May 13 William Walker S. at Churchill Downs, and Eye Witness (City of Light), a $650,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase who won the Paradise Creek S. at Belmont Park May 20.

“He's [No Nay Hudson] one we're just trying to get to settle. My main exercise rider, Julio Garcia, has got the horse to relax,” Ward said. “We're doing some nice, easy slow works and he's got a couple races in him now. Fitness isn't an issue. It's just trying to get his mind to where we can get him to settle. He's at Saratoga now and ready to go.”

Facing this pair is Gaslight Dancer (City of Light). The Mike Maker trainee should not be overlooked after winning the Palisades S. at Keeneland in April and the bay colt did finish third behind No Nay Hudson in the William Walker.

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Dual Grade I Winner Althiqa Retired

Godolphin homebred Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}– Mistrusting {Ire}, by Shamardal), a dual Grade I winner, has been retired for broodmare duty, trainer Charlie Appleby announced on Tuesday.

“We've retired Althiqa,” Appleby told Dubai Racing Channel's Michael Adolphson in an interview. “There were no more options for her. She could have gone to Del Mar, there's a Grade II on the card there, but bless her, she owes us nothing. She's pulled up safe and sound and she'll head to the breeding shed.”

A winner of her only start at two at Thirsk, the grey took the Listed Prix Amandine and was placed at Group 3 level three times last year from six starts. It was at four, however, that the daughter of Listed Boadicea Fillies S. heroine Mistrusting, who also bore the royal blue, really shone, taking the G2 Cape Verdi at Meydan in January prior to running third in the G2 Balanchine there in February.

Given some time off, she shipped Stateside and defeated stablemate Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in the GI Just a Game S. at Belmont Park in June. Brought back for Saratoga's GI Diana S., Althiqa once again had Summer Romance back in second on July 17. Her final start was a fourth after some traffic issues in the GI First Lady S. at Keeneland on Oct. 9. A granddaughter of G2 Cherry Hinton S. heroine and G1 Cheveley Park S. second Misheer (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), she retires with a mark of 12-6-2-3 and $761,213 in earnings.

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