Technical Analysis Moving Onward And Upward Into Lake Placid

Klaravich Stables' Technical Analysis took a step up last time with her first career stake win and will look to go 2-for-2 this summer at Saratoga Race Course in headlining a six-horse field of sophomore fillies in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid going 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf course at the Spa.

The 38th running of the Lake Placid, carded as Race 9, is one of three stakes on the 11-race card that features a 1:05 p.m. Eastern first post. The $120,000 Smart N Fancy for older fillies and mares sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon turf will go off as Race 3, while the 141st running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/4 miles on the main track will take center stage in Race 10.

In the Lake Placid, Technical Analysis will look to duplicate her effort from the Grade 3 Lake George on July 23 over the Saratoga inner turf, where she tracked in third position before kicking away from Fluffy Socks to win by 1 1/4 lengths in a one-mile contest. The Chad Brown trainee has compiled a 3-0-1 record in five starts but did not face stakes competition until her sixth-place effort in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 3 at Belmont Park.

After winning at a mile, the Irish-bred daughter of Kingman will be stretched back out, drawing post 2 with Jose Ortiz aboard for the fifth straight start.

“We're going in there getting her back to a mile and a sixteenth. She seems to be doing well,” Brown said. “We've always thought a lot of her.”

Spanish Loveaffair faced top-flight competition last out, running last-of-8 in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in the opening leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series on July 10. Entering off a two-month respite, the daughter of Karakonite has alternated between solid stakes efforts and disappointing finishes in her four 2021 starts, which started when she crossed the wire first in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride in February at Gulfstream Park but was disqualified and placed fourth for interference.

After a bump near the start caused a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Appalachian in April at Keeneland, Spanish Loveaffair again encountered trip troubles in the Grade 3 Regret but overcame it to run second, just three-quarters of a length back to Gam's Mission, on May 29 at Churchill before her Belmont Oaks performance.

Spanish Loveaffair, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Hernon and Barber, is trained by newly inducted Hall of Famer Mark Casse. Ricardo Santana, Jr. will be in the irons from the outermost post 6.

Lawrence Goichman's New York-homebred Runaway Rumour won her first three starts for trainer Jorge Abreu, including an off-the-pace half-length victory in the Wild Applause in June at Belmont Park going one mile. After running fourth in the Lake George in her first run over the Saratoga grass, the Flintshire filly will return to the Spa, where she has worked since June, including a four-furlong work on the Oklahoma training track on August 7 in 50.83 seconds.

Runaway Rumour drew post 4 with Jose Lezcano set to ride.

Reiko and Michael Baum's Illiogami stepped up to stakes company for the first time in her last start when running fifth in the Grade 2 Mother Goose on June 26 at Belmont. The Tapit filly, a $400,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, made her first two starts on turf before trainer Rusty Arnold moved her to the main track for her last four races, starting with a runner-up performance in November at Churchill to cap her juvenile campaign.

Back-to-back wins in April at Keeneland and Churchill, respectively, prompted the class elevation in the Mother Goose. Now, Illiogami will make her first turf start in nine months, drawing the inside post with Manny Franco aboard.

“She's doing well; she didn't run that well in the Mother Goose, which was a disappointment, but her first two races started off good,” Arnold said. “We're hoping it's a case where she just didn't handle the dirt. We got her here in Saratoga but we weren't ready for the first opportunity, and this one just set up a little bit better. We really didn't have a break based on any intentions, it's just the way it worked out.

“She's been good since she's been here,” Arnold added.

Rebecca Hillen's Ego Trip ran second in her first North American start, finishing one length back to Rastafara in a one-mile maiden special weight on July 24 at Saratoga. The Irish-bred daughter of No Nay Never made her first start in March, also finishing as the runner-up at Newcastle for trainer Kevin Ryan, before being transferred to Brendan Walsh's care when arriving in the United States.

Ego Trip will have Tyler Gaffalione in the irons from post 3.

Godolphin homebred Lovestruck, winner of the Tepin in November at Aqueduct Racetrack for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, will be making just the second start of her campaign after finishing eighth in the Wild Applause.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will have the call from post 5.

Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Clement-Rosario Strike Again With Speaktomeofsummer In Lake Placid Stakes

Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer answered the question about handling increased distance, finding a seam in the stretch to split competitors and gamely digging in with Stunning Sky to her inside, fending off her challenger in the final jumps for a victory by a head in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

After making her first four starts at a mile, the Christophe Clement-trained Speaktomeofsummer was stretched out to 1 1/8 miles but utilized a patient trip under jockey Joel Rosario. The Summer Front filly sat in sixth position as Blame Debbie led the eight-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.01 seconds and the half in 49.03 on the inner turf coursed labeled firm.

Coming out of the clubhouse turn, Speaktomeofsummer lost some ground in a tightly bunched field, but Rosario quickly recovered and kept her to the inside. Approaching the far turn, she picked off a pair of rivals before surging when straightening for home.

In the stretch, she overtook Blame Debbie, who Jose Ortiz tried to prevent from lugging out, before linking up with Stunning Sky, positioned by Irad Ortiz, Jr. near the rail, for an exciting final furlong that saw the winner stop the clock in a 1:49.44 final time.

“I was really happy with the trip. I thought I would be a little closer, like Christophe told me, but everybody had the same idea to be up there,” said Rosario, who teamed with Clement to win a Grade 2 at the Spa for a second consecutive day after Decorated Invader captured Saturday's National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. “It looked like the first part was fast but they all got into their position, so I thought I'd let her be happy there and hopefully have a good run at the end.

“She was moving beautifully but when I passed the leader, she waited a little bit and the other horse came back again,” he added. “But she came on again and I was able to hold them off.”

After running fourth last out with blinkers on for the first time in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 20 at Belmont, Clement ran Speaktomeofsummer without blinkers. The equipment change, along with a change in venue in her Saratoga debut, resulted in her third win in five career starts.

“I put the blinkers on [last time] because I thought she was a little lazy in her work in the morning before her last race. That's what happens when trainers start to think too much,” said Clement, who notched his third career Lake Placid win, joining Spotlight and Naissance Royale [the respective 2004 and 2005 victors].

“She had a great trip. Thank you, Joel. He's riding great at the moment. The filly has trained well since the last race at Belmont. She's by Summer Front which is a big deal for us as we trained him plus he's a young sire at the moment. He belongs to Mr. [Tom] Moore, who also owned Summer Front so it is even more meaningful.

“She had a great trip. It was a pretty game last eighth of a mile,” he continued. “I'm delighted. She can do a mile to a mile an eighth for sure, but any further I don't know. I would have to think about it.”

Clement recorded three wins Sunday and totaled five on the weekend.

“The last two days have been good. Let's keep it going,” he said.

Off at 9-2, Speaktomeofsummer returned $11.60 on a $2 win wager. She nearly doubled her career earnings to $175,500. She is a possibility for the 1 3/16-mile $500,000 Saratoga Oaks on August 16.

“I would need to think about it because of the timing,” Clement said. “We will keep it open. Instead of me, we'll let her tell us and see what happens.”

Stunning Sky, trained by Mike Maker, was 1 ½ lengths the better of Queens Embrace for second, marking her best stakes finish in five attempts.

“She showed up and ran her race. She just needed to be a head better today,” said Maker assistant Nolan Ramsey. “At the sixteenth pole, I thought the other horse was going to run right by her, but she was game. No complaints. She ran a great race.”

Key Biscayne, 2-1 favorite Cat's Pajamas, Lashara, Blame Debbie and Mirabell Mei completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Wednesday with a 10-race card showcasing the $85,000 Lubash for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up in Race 3 at 1:54 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m. and features the summer meet's first steeplechase race in the $55,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice.

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Speaktomeofsummer Ready For ‘Ambitious Spot’ In Sunday’s Lake Placid

Stakes-winner Speaktomeofsummer will look to stretch out in distance in taking another crack against graded stakes company as part of a six-horse field of sophomore fillies in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid at historic Saratoga Race Course.

Owned by Waterford Stable, Speaktomeofsummer broke her maiden at second asking, posting a three-length score in a one-mile contest in her turf debut in September at Monmouth Park. The Christophe Clement trainee capped her juvenile campaign with a two-length triumph in her stakes debut, earning a 77 Beyer Speed Figure for her win in the one-mile Chelsey Flower over good turf in November at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Off a seven-month layoff, the Summer Front filly made her 3-year-old bow on June 20, running fourth in the Grade 3 Wonder Again at Belmont Park. After identical four-furlong works in 49.20 seconds on Belmont's inner turf, Clement said she is again ready to face high-caliber competition in her first attempt over the Spa's grass.

“It's a bit of an ambitious spot, but she's been working very well so we're giving it a go,” Clement said.

A $135,000 purchase at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale, Speaktomeofsummer will retain the services of jockey Joel Rosario, drawing the inside post.

Trainer Graham Motion has twice won the Lake Placid, capturing the 2009 edition with Shared Account, and last year when Varenka dead-heated the Chad Brown-conditioned Regal Glory. In this year's edition, Motion will saddle a pair of contenders in Cat's Pajamas and Blame Debbie.

Cat's Pajamas, owned by Larkin Armstrong and Jack Swain, transferred to Motion's care after two off-the-board finishes over the main track under Hall of Famer Bill Mott to start her career. Motion switched the Street Sense filly to grass, resulting in back-to-back wins, starting with a 1 1/16-mile route on May 17 at Churchill Downs before besting allowance company by a half-length on June 14 at the same distance over Belmont Park's grass.

“I think being able to stretch her out as a 3-year-old and getting her on the grass has helped her,” Motion said. “She's been impressive in the mornings since we had her. The time off has helped her, too. I think she can handle the mile-and-an-eighth. It's always encouraging when they can come back and duplicate their performances against winners.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez, a three-time Lake Placid winner who has been aboard for both of her turf wins, will be in the irons again, breaking from the outermost post 8.

Motion will also send out Blame Debbie, who earned graded stakes blacktype to end her juvenile campaign with a third-place effort in the Grade 2 Demoiselle on the main track in December at Aqueduct.

The daughter of Blame made her first four starts on the main track before trying turf or the first time in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks, where she finished 11th on March 7 at Tampa Bay Downs. Dropping down in class, she ran third against allowance company at 1 ¼ miles on June 21 at Belmont, setting her up for another stakes appearance on turf.

“I thought her last race was very impressive against older fillies,” Motion said. “The key with her can be the distance. She likes to go longer and I think she's at her best on the grass.”

Jose Ortiz picks up the mount for the first time, exiting post 2.

Ken Geren's Mirabell Mei, eighth in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks last out, broke her maiden in the race prior, posting a 2 ½-length victory in February at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer John Terranova.

The daughter of Palace Malice, purchased for $100,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale, Mirabell Mei made her first start at the Spa last September, running fifth. She returns to famous track and will have Jose Lezcano pilot her from post 7.

Cindy Hutson and Robert Masterson's Lashara has only three starts to her credit but won at second asking in April at Gulfstream Park before running second to Lake Placid-rival Cat's Pajamas by a half length in an allowance race on June 14.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will see the English-bred daughter of Triple Crown-winner American Pharoah step up to stakes company for the first time, drawing post 3 with Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano.

Rounding out the field is Stunning Sky, sixth last out in the Grade 3 Regret on June 27 at Churchill, for trainer Mike Maker [post 6, Irad Ortiz, Jr.]; Key Biscayne, making her first stakes start in her nine attempts, for trainer Juan Alvarado [post 5, Manny Franco]; and Queens Embrace, a first-time stakes starter for trainer Kathleen O'Connell [post 4, Tyler Gaffalione].

The 37th running of the Lake Placid is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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