NYRA/Coglianese Photo

Fools Gold seeks second straight win in Waya (G3)

by Ryan Martin

Wise Racing's Fools Gold looks to defend her title in Saturday's 21st running of the Grade 3, $150,000 Waya over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course on Runhappy Travers Day.

The Waya is one of five graded stakes events carded for Runhappy Travers Day on Saturday, August 8. Spearheaded by the 151st running of the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers, which features Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law, Saturday's action-packed program also includes the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test for 3-year-old fillies, the Grade 1, $300,000 Ballerina presented by NYRA Bets for older fillies and mares going seven furlongs, as well as the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy - a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for older horses.

The Waya, a 1 ½-mile turf marathon for fillies and mares, is named in honor of Peter Brant and George Strawbridge Jr.'s champion turf mare who was a four-time Grade 1 winner in the United States. Initially conditioned by Hall of Famer Angel Penna, Sr., Waya was a multiple stakes winner in her native France before moving to the United States, where she won six of her nine starts, including against males in the Grade 1 Man o' War in 1978, and was named Champion Older Mare the following year, when trained by David Whiteley.

Fools Gold, trained by Chad Brown, will attempt to be the first back-to-back winner of the Waya since Saratoga Source won the first two editions in 1993-94.

The 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro has not won since taking last year's Waya, where she sat off the pace in the early stages, inched her way into contention and won by three-quarters of a length while garnering a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure.

Her lone start this season was a well-beaten fifth in her seasonal bow in the Grade 2 New York on June 27 at Belmont Park over the inner turf.

"I wanted to have a race before that. She kind of showed some speed and backed up," said Brown - a three-time winner of the Waya. "It's her second start going a mile and a half. She seems to be doing well, so we'll see. She had some success here last year."

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who was aboard three of the last four Waya victors, will pilot Fools Gold from post 7.

Brown also will send out My Sister Nat, who is owned by the race's namesake owner Peter Brant and will leave from post 4. 

The French-bred daughter of Acclamation and half-sister to 2018 Champion Turf Female Sistercharlie was a Group 3 winner in her native country before joining her multiple Grade 1-winning sibling alongside Brown's all-star shed row in the United States last summer. She acquired North American graded stakes black type in her last two efforts when finishing a close second in the Grade 3 Long Island on November 30 at Aqueduct and the Grade 2 New York.

Jockey Jose Ortiz guided My Sister Nat to her two graded stakes placings and retains the mount.

Making her first start since finishing ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf last year is Andrew Stone's Kentucky homebred Mrs. Sippy for trainer Graham Motion.

Originally conditioned in Great Britain by David Simcock, the 5-year-old Blame bay made her United States debut a winning one when taking the Grade 2 Glens Falls last summer over the Spa's inner turf course going 1 3/8 miles. She then followed up with a late-closing second to Sistercharlie in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont before her start in the Breeders' Cup.

Mrs. Sippy boasts the highest career bankroll in the field at $322,706.

"I think these longer distances is what she wants to do," Motion said. "We've been in a bit of a holding pattern with her. She's been ready to run for a while. We were going to run at Belmont and had to scratch and then we had her in the Robert Dick at Delaware which got taken off the grass. We're anxious to get a start in her."

Mrs. Sippy is out of the Encosta de Lago broodmare Qushchi, who won the Waya in 2013 and also was trained by Motion. 

"They're not similar types at all, actually," Motion said. "This filly is a bigger, stouter type of horse and pretty levelheaded. Qushchi had the tendency to be a bit of a handful."

Jockey Joel Rosario will eye his seventh stakes victory of the meet when piloting Mrs. Sippy from post 1.

Leading trainer Christophe Clement will attempt to keep his dominant ways at the Spa intact when seeking a seventh stakes triumph this meet with Olympic Games.

Owned by Martin Schwartz, the French-bred daughter of Olympic Glory has been second in both of her North American starts. After transferring to the Clement barn from the stable of Jean-Claude Rouget in her native country, she was a late-closing second in the Treasure Chest at Gulfstream Park before another runner-up effort in the River Memories at Belmont Park.

Clement, who won the 2006 Waya with Shared Dreams, will give a leg up to jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. as the jockey-trainer combo attempt their third stakes triumph together this meet as Olympic Games leaves from post 5.

Quiet Diginity will be making her stakes debut as well as her first start for trainer Mike Maker, who attempts a fourth stakes victory this meet in the Waya.

Owned by Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm, the leading owner at the Spa, the Kentucky-bred chestnut daughter of Kitten's Joy was third to subsequent Saratoga stakes winners Varenka and Catch a Bid in her North American debut last summer at Saratoga.

Quiet Dignity will break from post 3 under jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

Rounding out the field is Mark T. Anderson's Beau Belle, who was a recent third in the River Memories and will attempt her first stakes triumph in the Waya. 

Trained by Tom Albertrani, 15th time was the charm for the daughter of Giant's Causeway, who broke her maiden over a yielding turf course at Saratoga last summer en route to a triumph against winners over a yielding Mellon turf. 

Jockey Luis Saez will be aboard Beau Belle from post 2.

Farfellow Farm's multiple graded stakes-placed Another Broad [post 6] has been entered for main track only.

The Waya is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 12-race card for Runhappy Travers Day, which offers a first post of 12:00 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.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.