My Sister Nat and Orglandes, who began racing in their native France before finding Grade 3 success in the United States, seek to give three-time meet-leading trainer and four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown his first career victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.
The 26th running of the 1 ½-mile Glens Falls for older fillies and mares on the inner turf, honoring the city located 15 miles north of Saratoga and nicknamed 'Hometown U.S.A.,' is one of five stakes worth a combined $2.87 million in purses on a spectacular program highlighted by the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney, one of the country's premiere races for older horses.
Peter Brant's My Sister Nat is a 6-year-old mare that has run well on the Saratoga turf since coming to the U.S. in the summer of 2019. Last year, she won the Grade 3 Waya at 1 ½ miles and was second as the favorite to Civil Union in the Glens Falls, beaten a length after encountering some trouble at the start.
Second by a head to Civil Union in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational last fall at Belmont Park, My Sister Nat ran fourth in Belmont's Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay in May to open her 2021 season. Last out, she rallied from far back to be third by two lengths on yielding ground in the Grade 2, 1 ¼-mile New York on June 4.
“She likes the course. I think that's important,” Brown said. “I much prefer to have a horse that's experienced over this turf course. She should be good.”
Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stable and Michael Caruso's Orglandes came to the U.S. a year after her stablemate and went more than a year between races before finishing third in her stateside debut last September at Monmouth Park. She capped 2020 winning two straight including a cross-country trip to Del Mar for the Grade 3, 1 3/8-mile Red Carpet, rallying for a half-length triumph.
The 5-year-old Orglandes has raced once this year, finishing an even sixth in the Sheepshead Bay. She came to Saratoga from Belmont in June and has trained steadily on the grass for her return.
“Her first start of the year didn't go quite the way we planned so we regrouped with her and here we are. We look to get her back on track,” Brown said. “For whatever reason she just didn't show up. She came out of the race a little sore so I just kind of backed off. I have her back nice now, [she's] moving very well and looks healthy so we'll try again.”
Jose Ortiz has the call on My Sister Nat from post 5 while older brother Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard Orglandes from post 4 in the field of seven.
The top three finishers from the Grade 3, 1 3/8-mile Robert G. Dick Memorial July 10 at Delaware Park – Dalika, Luck Money and Temple City Terror – will square off again in the Glens Falls. Bal Mar Equine's Dalika emerged from a protracted duel with Luck Money to prevail by a length, with Temple City Terror another three-quarters of a length back.
“She was pressed all the way by a long shot, every step of the way. I figured that would soften her up but she put that horse away and kind of rebroke again in the stretch and outran some nice fillies,” Dalika's trainer Al Stall, Jr. said. “That's what gave us a little confidence coming up here.”
The 5-year-old Dalika, bred in Germany, is a four-time stakes winner and has won three of seven starts since being stretched out late last winter. She has tried the distance twice, finishing second by less than a length to Temple City Terror in the May 22 Keertana at Churchill Downs.
“We're confident. If she's comfortable underneath the jock and there's no tug of war, so to speak, she runs a pretty nice race,” Stall said. “She's such an odd horse, a horse that goes this far and has that much energy doing it. You can't figure it out by training, just what we saw in some of her races. She's cost herself races by wrestling around with the jock. We kind of just give her head, let her bounce along and hopefully she'll settle down on her own.”
Regular rider Miguel Mena has the assignment from post 6.
Catherine Wills' homebred Luck Money, beaten favorite in the Robert G. Dick, has tried the Glens Falls distance twice before. The 4-year-old filly won the Zagora over a yielding course last fall at Belmont Park and was second to Blame Debbie, also as the wagering choice, in the June 13 Searching at Pimlico Race Course.
Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will climb aboard for trainer Arnaud Delacour from outside post 7.
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R Unicorn Stable's Call Me Love takes a two-race win streak into the Glens Falls, neither by more than a neck, the margin of her most recent triumph in the 1 ½-mile River Memories July 11 at Belmont Park. She was beaten a neck by multiple Grade 1 winner Starship Jubilee in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa last summer at Saratoga.
“She actually lost to a very good filly in Starship Jubilee and lost nothing in defeat. She's proven that she does well in Saratoga,” said Miguel Clement, assistant to his father, trainer Christophe Clement. “If you believe in speed ratings, that was one of her best races in the Ballston Spa. The filly is doing well, we're based here, and it's time to go.
“It's a bit quick back from her last start, but the filly is doing well. It's time to be ambitious,” he added. “She's a very gutsy filly. She demonstrates that in the morning and, obviously, on race day. It's been fun.”
Junior Alvarado, up for each of her last two wins, gets the return call from post 1. Christophe Clement has four previous victories in the Glens Falls, the most recent being with Irish Mission in 2014.
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott owns a record five Glens Falls victories – 1999, 2009 and 2015 through 2017. He will look to extend that mark with George Krikorian's War Like Goddess, a 4-year-old daughter of turf champion English Channel making just her sixth career start. Four of her first five races have resulted in wins, including the Grade 3 Orchid March 27 at Gulfstream Park and Grade 3 Bewitched April 23 at Keeneland, her most recent outing. Both wins came under Julien Leparoux, who rides back from post 3.
Completing the field is Pocket Aces Racing's Temple City Terror, a 5-year-old Temple City mare that has finished behind Dalika three times in six starts since mid-December including the Robert G. Dick last out, but beat her in the Keertana in her only previous try at 1 ½ miles.
“She's a nice filly. She's really done well since we stretched her out,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “Last time she had a tough trip at Delaware. She got in a little traffic and I think with a smoother trip, we would have been close. The filly that beat us is a very good filly, too. We beat her at Churchill and it was her turn at Delaware. There's not much between them.”
Tyler Gaffalione, who broke Temple City Terror's maiden in November 2019 at Churchill Downs, will be in the irons from post 2.
The Glens Falls is slated as Race 7 on Saturday's 12-race card, which offers a first post of 12:35 p.m. Eastern. 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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