NYRA Photo

Brown-trained exacta extends his win streak in G3 Lake George

by Brian Bohl

Klaravich Stables’ Technical Analysis stayed off Jouster’s early speed and overtook the 5-2 favorite from the outside in the final furlong to capture Friday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Lake George for 3-year-old fillies by 1 1/4 lengths at Saratoga Race Course.

The Irish-bred Technical Analysis, who finished sixth in a lackluster Grade 3 Wonder Again effort going 1 1/8 miles on the Belmont Park turf on June 3, fared better cutting back to one mile on the Spa’s inner turf course, earning her first stakes win by fending off stablemate Fluffy Socks’ late rally for a Chad Brown-trained exacta as the conditioner won his third consecutive Lake George.

Jouster broke from post 4 under Luis Saez and led the nine-horse field through opening fractions of 23.53 seconds for the quarter-mile, the half in 47.93 and three-quarters in 1:11.63 over firm going.

Out of the far turn, Saez kept Jouster to the inside. Technical Analysis, who initially tracked in third position under rider Jose Ortiz, had a clear lane when straightened for home, and the Kingman filly responded to right-handed encouragement by overtaking Jouster and pressing on to complete the course in 1:36.61.

“I think she always wanted to do this – run a mile,” Ortiz said. “We were trying to stretch her out being a 3-year-old for the Belmont Oaks. I told Chad, and he agreed with me, at this time it’s probably not her thing and we need to cut her back. She’s too antsy early and pulls a lot.

“Today, cutting back to a mile, I could let her run to the first turn and she came back to me nicely,” he added. “She relaxed very well behind the horses and I knew it was just a matter of time. I knew we were going to separate and that’s what I wanted. I wanted Jouster not to walk in front of me.”

Brown, who also saddled the fifth and sixth-place finishers Minaun and Amy C, respectively, won the Lake George for the fifth time in seven editions dating to 2015 and for a second consecutive year with a Klaravich-owned contender, as Selflessly won in 2020.

“Technical Analysis was in a very good spot up front,” Brown said. “It looked like some of my horses in the rear might not be firing, so it was really up to her at that point and I thought Jose gave her an outstanding ride.

“The cutback helped a lot,” Brown continued. “You know you’re going to get more pace with the cutback and that’s really what she needed to get her off the bridle down the backstretch where there’s a good strong pace to run at. She’ll pull on a slow pace. That was part of the thinking of cutting her back. We always have thought of her as one of our better horses in this division last year. It’s nice to see her achieving some of those goals we set forth over the winter when we mapped out her campaign.”

Technical Analysis, who won two of her first three races before finishing off the board over Belmont turf labeled good last month in her stakes bow, went off at 7-1 and paid $17.60 on a $2 win wager on Friday in her first Saratoga start.

Fluffy Socks, second in the Memories of Silver in April at Aqueduct Racetrack before a fifth-place effort in the Wonder Again, rallied from last-of-9 at the three-quarters mark to earn runner-up status for the second time in three starts, edging Tobys Heart by a neck.

“Going into this race, I thought these four horses were even,” said Brown. “I couldn’t have picked between them. She [Technical Analysis] was 9-1 when they loaded in the gate. I hope that some of my loyal fans here that have been losing the first week got some money back.”

Fluffy Socks, the winner of the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante as a juvenile in December at Del Mar, moved to 3-3-0 in eight career starts for Brown.

“I tried her longer,” Brown said. “Over the winter, I told the owners that this is our Belmont Oaks and Saratoga Oaks horse. When she failed, I cut her back and even though she’s coming from the back closing, she’s really probably a come-from-behind miler. She needs pace to run at and I think that was the key to getting her back on track.”

Added Joel Rosario, Fluffy Socks’ rider: “She was there for me but they kind of got away on her a little bit and she was where she was. She put in a nice run in the end. She was coming, we were just second best.”

Runaway Rumour finished fourth, with Minaun, Amy C, Demodog, Jouster and Navratilova completing the order of finish. Invincible Gal was scratched.

“The track was a little soft and she was stumbling. At the three-eighths, she couldn’t pick it up,” Saez said of the beaten-favorite Jouster.

Saturday will feature an 11-race card at Saratoga headlined by the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for sophomore fillies going 1 1/8 miles in Race 5 at 3:23 p.m. Eastern. The 10th race will feature the Grade 3, $200,000 Caress for older fillies and mares going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at 6:13 p.m. First post is 1:05 p.m.