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Beautiful Love an appealing contender in G2 Lake Placid presented by Caesars Sportsbook

by Keith McCalmont

Godolphin’s Irish homebred Beautiful Love will make her stateside debut in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid presented by Caesars Sportsbook, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, who has won three stakes races at the current Spa meet, the Siyouni chestnut was last seen winning a one-mile conditions race in February at Meydan Racecourse. That effort was preceded by a runner-up performance in the seven-furlong Jumeirah Fillies Classic to stablemate Cinderella’s Dream, who has since won the Grade 1 Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational in July at Belmont at the Big A and Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 2.

Beautiful Love worked a half-mile in 49.95 seconds on August 2 over the Oklahoma training turf in company with Group 2-winner Naval Power, who is targeting the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. She previously worked with dual graded stakes-winner Eternal Hope, who ran fourth last out in the Grade 2 Glens Falls on August 1 here.

“She’s an exciting filly. Here’s hoping she’s as good as we hope,” said Appleby’s traveling assistant Chris Connett. “She’s put in some nice works with Eternal Hope and been going well enough. The other day, she had an easy piece with Naval Power and I think it’s always a good sign when she can lay along with proper group horses like them.”

Beautiful Love, assigned 120 pounds, will exit the outermost post 11 under Manny Franco.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle a trio of contenders in graded stakes-winner Dynamic Pricing [post 10, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 122 pounds], stakes-winner Spaliday [post 5, Frankie Dettori, 120 pounds] and maiden winner Grayosh [post 2, Flavien Prat, 118 pounds] as he looks to secure a record extending sixth score in this event.

Brown’s Lake Placid winners includes Aspray [2023], Haughty [2022], Technical Analysis [2021], Regal Glory [2019] and Rushing Fall [2018].

Klaravich Stables’ Irish-bred Dynamic Pricing, by Night of Thunder, was purchased for $204,442 from Book 1 at the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. She graduated at first asking in November at Aqueduct Racetrack and has raced exclusively in graded company since, including a close third in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant in February at Gulfstream Park and a half-length score in the Grade 2 Edgewood over yielding footing in May at Churchill Downs.

The talented bay enters from an off-the-board effort in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1 Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 6 at Belmont at the Big A where she was off awkwardly and finished five lengths back of Cinderella’s Dream.

“It was a little too far for her [last time], so cutting her back I think will work for her,” Brown said.

Peter M. Brant’s Spaliday is by More Than Ready and out of the Brown-trained 2014 Champion Grass Mare Dayatthespa, a multiple Grade 1-winner with more than $2.2 million in purse earnings.

Spaliday, a $310,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, graduated at third asking in May at Belmont at the Big A. She added blinkers last out en route to a rallying 1 1/4-length score in the 1 1/16-mile Boiling Springs on July 13 at Monmouth Park.

“She had a nice breakthrough win with blinkers on down at Monmouth. She seems to be doing very, very well,” Brown said.

Flanagan Racing’s Grayosh also graduated at third asking, taking a 1 1/16-mile tilt over good ground in April at the Big A. She followed with a close fourth in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wonder Again in May at Belmont at the Big A when 2 3/4-lengths back of winning stablemate Segesta.

The Yoshida gray enters from a narrow nose defeat to returning rival Proctor Street in a 1 1/16-mile optional-claimer on July 18 here.

“She was a bit unlucky to lose [her last race], but she ran well, and I think it’s time to try her in a stake again,” Brown said.

Patricia Moseley’s Kentucky homebred Proctor Street [post 9, Tyler Gaffalione, 118 pounds] is undefeated in two career starts for trainer Brendan Walsh.

The well-bred Street Sense dark bay is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Ghostzapper mare Proctor’s Ledge, who won this event in 2017 for the same connections.

Proctor Street has notched a pair of narrow victories at 1 1/16-miles on turf, rallying to a head score in her May 27 debut over good going at Horseshoe Indianapolis ahead of a visually impressive surge from last-of-10 under Tyler Gaffalione to post a 17-1 nose win over Grayosh over firm footing in the aforementioned optional-claimer.

“We brought her up to Saratoga because she had improved so much. Thankfully, she won up there as well. She's 2-for-2 now,” Walsh said. “She made a very good impression on Tyler. Her mum was like that, too. She just improved and improved as her career went on and she turned out to be a really good filly. It's uncanny the similarities between the two. If this one is as good as her mum, we'll be in good shape.”

Walsh said the lightly-raced Proctor Street has matured immensely with racing.

“This filly has come a long way physically. She's not overly big but she's after getting a lot stronger. She's done really well in the last 12 months,” Walsh said. “She's still learning. She's only had the two runs. It would be nice if we had some pace to run at.”

Walsh said it would be special to secure another win for the Moseley family as he earned his first career win with their filly Sandcastle in 2012 at Gulfstream Park.

“She’s been an owner of mine since Day One,” Walsh said. “She's been a great client, and she loves her racing. She deserves every bit of good luck that she gets.”

Lael Stables’ She Feels Pretty [post 7, John Velazquez, 120 pounds] boasts a perfect in-the-money record of 5-3-0-2 topped by a 4 1/4-length score in the Grade 1 Natalma in September at Woodbine.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, the Karakontie chestnut finished a close third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Santa Anita Park when a half-length back of the victorious Hard to Justify.

She opened her sophomore season with a 5 3/4-length score in the one-mile Hilltop on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course and was last seen finishing a prominent third in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational when three-quarter lengths back of Cinderella’s Dream. There, she chased pacesetter Segesta through sharp splits of 23.79, 48.96 and 1:13.25 before tipping out and dueling with the frontrunner the length of the lane, but neither could repel the onrushing Cinderella’s Dream, who scored in a course record 1:53.42. Segesta nosed out She Feels Pretty for place honors.

She Feels Pretty, bred in Kentucky by Payson Stud Inc., is out of the winning New York-bred More Than Ready mare Summer Sweet, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Adirondack Summer and stakes-winner Summer Breezing. She was purchased for $240,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

DeVaux will also send out John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services’ Deep Satin [post 1, Jose Ortiz, 118 pounds], who makes her stakes debut from a three-length graduation at third asking on July 14 here traveling 1 1/16-miles over firm footing. The winning effort garnered an 82 Beyer.

The American Pharoah bay, a half-sister to stakes-placed Take These Chains, is out of the graded stakes-winning Chester House mare Take the Ribbon.

A talented field also includes Gala Brand [post 3, Jose Lezcano, 120 pounds], who captured the Grade 3 With Anticipation against the boys here last year for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; multiple stakes-winner De Regreso [post 4, Luis Saez, 120 pounds] for trainer Antonio Sano; the French-bred stakes winner Les Reys [post 6, Joel Rosario, 120 pounds], who makes her stateside debut for trainer Christophe Clement; and maiden claiming-winner Ori [post 8, Kendrick Carmouche, 118 pounds] for conditioner Michelle Nevin. Lemon Muffin, Manama Gold and Camera [blinkers OFF] are entered for the main track only.

The Lake Placid is slated as Race 9 on Saturday’s 12-race card which also features the Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales in Race 10. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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