Familiar Saratoga Rivals set for rematch in G3 Glen Falls

by Brian Bohl

A talented field of 10 fillies and mares, including the first four finishers in the 1 ½-mile Waya on August 6, will meet on Saturday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Glens Falls at Saratoga Race Course.

Heading the field for the 1 3/8-mile race on the inner turf are a pair of Chad Brown trainees in Waya winner Guapaza and Grade 1 winner Ball Dancing.

The Chilean-bred Guapaza, 2-1-2 in five North American starts, notched her first stateside victory on July 10 when stretched out to 1 ½ miles in the River Memories at Belmont Park. She returned in the Waya to grab the lead in midstretch and held on to win by a head over Suffused.

"She's coming into the race good and we found her niche going long distance on the turf and she's doing quite well," Brown said. "It's a solid group of fillies in the field, so hopefully we get a good trip like last time."

Owned by Don Alberto Stable, Guapaza is 2-for-2 with Javier Castellano, who will again have the call out of post 3.

Ball Dancing, who will be seeking her first win since the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley last year, had her best outing since then in the Waya, in which she finished fourth, beaten just over three lengths.

"She ran good last time and I wanted to get her back in there and try again," Brown said.

The British-bred Suffused, 1-1-1 in four starts since coming to the United States, came from off the pace to win the 1 15/16-mile Belmont Coronation Invitation by 4 ¾ lengths in June for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The Juddmonte Farms color-bearer will leave from post position 6 with Jose Ortiz in the irons.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle two graded stakes winners: Photo Call, who took the Grade 3 Orchid on April 2 at Gulfstream Park, and Itsonlyactingdad, victorious in the Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 31 at Monmouth Park.

Photo Call, who has earned $577,102, became a Grade 1 winner in the Rodeo Drive last September at Santa Anita. Her sixth-place finish in the Waya marked her Saratoga debut and she will look to improve off that effort when she leaves from post position 2 with Luis Saez on the saddle.

"It all depends how she settles early on and what the pace scenario is," Pletcher said. "She can get the distance if the setup is right. Having experience at Saratoga doesn't hurt."

Itsonlyactingdad has been first or second in all but two of her nine career starts and will be making only her second start beyond 1 1/8 miles, having finished second in last year's 1 ¼-mile Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

"We've been looking forward to stretching her out for a while," said Pletcher, who will give a leg up to Joe Bravo.

Gap Year, 2-1-1 in four career starts at the Spa, enters off an allowance victory on July 24 for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Ricardo Santana, Jr. has the call out of post 7.

Rounding out the field are Achaha, who was third in the Waya; Miss Chatelaine, runner-up last out in the Grade 3 Ontario Matron; Modernstone, making her 6-year-old debut, and Arles, entering off a 1-2-1 record in Germany.