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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Chad Brown-Trained Trio Headline Ballston Spa

Trainer Chad Brown will be represented by a trio of turf distaffers while seeking his sixth triumph in Saturday's 33rd running of the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles over the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course.

Brown, a three-time leading trainer at the Spa, is the winningest trainer in the Ballston Spa, having saddled Zagora [2012] and Lady Eli [2017] to victories en route to Champion Grass Female honors in their respective years, as well as winning with Dacita [2015], Quidura [2018] and Significant Form [2019].

Juddmonte's Viadera, who arrives off nearly three week's rest, was a troubled fourth as the favorite in the De La Rose on Aug. 8 at the Spa, where she made her first start in over eight months. The 5-year-old daughter of Bated Breath will try to regain her winning form from last season, when she secured three stakes victories.

Following a triumph by a neck in the 2020 De La Rose, which was her second start in North America, she won by the same margin against stable mate Blowout in the Grade 3 Noble Damsel on September 26 at Belmont Park. Viadera brought her form to new heights when shipping to Southern California for the Grade 1 Matriarch on November 29 at Del Mar, besting Blowout once more under a well-timed ride by jockey Joel Rosario to win by a nose.

In the De La Rose last out, Viadera rated at the rear of the field along the rail, checked slightly down the backstretch, and lacked racing room in upper stretch to close late finishing 2 ¾ lengths behind stable mate Regal Glory.

“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.

Rosario, the pilot in all five of her North American starts, will retain the mount from post 3.

Kalifornia Queen, owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and First Row Partners, arrives off a late-closing second to stable mate Great Island in the Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 17 at Monmouth Park.

A Group 2 winner in her native Germany, the 4-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega was unplaced in graded stakes in her first two starts in North America, but made her third effort stateside a winning one in an allowance optional claiming tilt at the Ballston Spa distance on July 13 at Belmont Park.

Brown said he was satisfied with the effort.

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

Kalifornia Queen will leave post 6 under jockey Flavien Prat.

Swift Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables and Wonder Stables' Tamahere seeks her first victory since capturing her North American debut in the Grade 2 Sands Point on October 10 at Belmont Park.

The French-bred daughter of Wootton Bassett finished second in two of her three efforts this season. In her 2021 debut, Tamahere was second to Juliet Foxtrot in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley on April 10 at Keeneland. After a distant ninth in the Grade 1 Longines Just a Game on June 5 at Belmont Park, she received a drop in class into allowance optional claiming company to run second on July 28 at Saratoga.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Tamahere from post 2.

Trainer Tony Dutrow will send out Woodford Racing's High Opinion, who bested winners last out on July 31 going one mile over Saratoga's inner turf.

The 4-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid lit up the tote board when breaking her maiden at 97-1 odds on October 10 at Belmont Park and validated the effort when finishing a close second in the next-out Winter Memories on November 15 at Aqueduct.

Jockey Luis Saez will pilot High Opinion from post 1.

R Unicorn Stable's New York Girl has been multiple graded stakes placed since joining the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott last year and will seek a breakthrough victory in the Ballston Spa.

The 4-year-old daughter of New Approach was beaten by one length or less in three graded stakes events to kick off her 2021 season. After losing by one length in the Grade 3 Endeavor on February 6 at Tampa Bay Downs, she returned to the Oldsmar oval to finish third beaten three-quarters of a length one month later in the Grade 2 Hillsborough. In the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile on May 1 at Churchill Downs, she closed late to finish second and miss by a half-length.

New York Girl arrives off a troubled fourth at allowance optional claiming level on August 1 over the Spa inner turf.

Breaking from post 4, New York Girl will be piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the winningest rider in the Ballston Spa with five victories.

Rounding out the field is Just In Time Racing's multiple stakes-placed Platinum Paynter, who was third in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 8 at Belmont Park and in the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial on July 6 at Parx Racing. Trained by Juan Vazquez, the daughter of Paynter made her 5-year-old debut when second to Regal Glory in the Plenty of Grace on April 24 at Aqueduct.

Jockey Jose Lezcano will ride from post 5.

The Ballston Spa is slated as Race 4 on the 13-race card. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern. For the third consecutive year, FOX will air the Runhappy Travers as the centerpiece of a 90-minute telecast beginning at 5 p.m. The networks of FOX and FOX Sports will air 7.5 total hours of live racing and analysis on Runhappy Travers Day, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. on FS1. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Pixelate Leads List Of Nominees for Pimlico Turf Stake

Godolphin homebred Pixelate, coming off a victory in last month's Prince George's County over the track, is one of seven graded-stakes winners among 28 horses nominated to the $200,000 Grade 3 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup Saturday, July 24 at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The one-mile G3 BWI Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up is one of four grass stakes worth $500,000 in purses on the program, joined by the $100,000 Bald Eagle Derby at 1 ½ miles for 3-year-olds and the $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash sprinting five furlongs and $100,000 Big Dreyfus going 1 1/8 miles, both for fillies and mares 3 and up.

Pixelate posted a third consecutive bullet workout Sunday over the all-weather surface at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., going a half-mile in :48 flat. All three have come since the 4-year-old City Zip colt, winner of the 2020 Grade 3 Kent at Delaware Park, rallied to beat fellow BWI Turf Cup nominee Logical Myth by a length in the 1 1/8-mile Prince George's County June 13.

Also exiting the Prince George's County are Eons, Talk Or Listen, and English Bee, who respectively ran third, sixth, and seventh. Eons, a 5-year-old horse, saw his winless streak extend to 10 races since capturing the 2019 Kent after encountering trouble last out, finishing just a length behind Logical Myth.

Eons' Arnaud Delacour-trained stablemate Talk Or Listen chased the pace in the Prince George's County before fading, though beaten less than four lengths. In his previous start, the 5-year-old gelding ran second by a length to Somelikeithotbrown in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Dinner Party May 15 on the undercard of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes.

English Bee won the James W. Murphy at Pimlico, Grade 3 Virginia Derby, and Parx Fall Derby in 2019 but has been unable to win since, running second in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf and Grade 2 Wise Dan last year. A 5-year-old son of turf champion English Channel, he was also seventh in the Dinner Party, beaten 2 ½ lengths.

Field Pass, trained by Mike Maker, won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby, the Grade 3 Transylvania, and the Grade 3 Ontario Derby in 2020 and has finished fourth in three of four starts this year, including the G2 Wise Dan last out June 26 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile April 9 at Keeneland.

Mr Dumas, winner of the 2019 Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf, has yet to race since capturing a Keeneland allowance last October. California-based Neptune's Storm made his 2021 debut running second in the June 20 Grade 3 American at Santa Anita Park. Graded wins have come in the 2020 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile and 2019 Grade 2 Hill Prince.

Also nominated are Oak Bluff Stables' 6-year-old Therapist, four-for-seven lifetime at one mile with earnings of $671,865 for New York-based trainer Christophe Clement, fellow multiple stakes winner Rinaldi, owned and trained by James Bond; and Augustin Stable homebred Corelli, who beat Pixelate by a neck in the April 24 Henry S. Clark at Pimlico and was most recently third in the June 5 Grade 3 Monmouth.

Wootton Asset and Doubleoseven, respectively third and fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Kent July 3, are among 20 sophomores nominated to the Bald Eagle Derby. The Kent was the season opener for Wootton Asset, second by a nose in the Laurel Futurity last fall at Pimlico, and the turf debut for Doubleoseven, stakes-placed sprinting on dirt.

Also nominated are Michael Matz-trained filly Line Dancing, third in the Grade 3 Edgewood April 20 in her 2021 opener; Eamonn, fifth in the Kent; Indian Lake, third by less than a length in the 7 ½-furlong Sussex July 8 at Delaware Park; Experienced and Vikram, debut maiden special weight winners for Jonathan Thomas, who also trains Corelli; and Shackled Love, winner of the March 13 Private Terms over Laurel Park's main track.

Line Dancing is also one of 29 nominees to the Big Dreyfus, along with four from Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown – 2021 Grade 3 Endeavour winner Counterparty Risk, Feb. 6 Suwannee River winner Great Island, third in the May 15 Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico; German Group 2 winner Kalifornia Queen and Nay Lady Nay, winner of the All Along at Laurel and Grade 3 Matchmaker in 2020. Speaktomeofsummer, winner of the 2020 Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga, multiple stakes winner Summer in Saratoga, and Sosua, undefeated in three career starts, are also nominated.

The Sensible Lady Turf Dash also attracted 29 nominees including multiple stakes winners Street Lute, who has yet to run on grass; Caravel, bred, co-owned and trained by Maryland-based Liz Merryman, and Jakarta; Ellanation, Dendrobia, Quiet Company, Can the Queen, Introduced, and Spun Glass, the top six finishers from the July 4 Jameela at Pimlico; Gotta Go Mo, second to Caravel in the five-furlong The Very One May 14 at Pimlico; and Miss Auramet, runner-up behind Caravel in the June 25 Goldwood at Monmouth Park.

 

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