Lady Eli / Joe Labozzetta Photo

Saratoga Race Course Notes - 8/1/16

by NYRA Press Office

Saratoga Race Course Notes - 8/1/16

Lady Eli breezes in preparation for G2 Ballston Spa
Upstart on target, Samraat 'on the fence' for G1 Whitney
G3 Shuvee winner Curalina in good order; Pletcher barn heating up
Miss Ella in fine shape following Caress victory
Too Discreet 2-1 for Thursday's Quick Call

Lady Eli, the undefeated dark bay filly for trainer Chad Brown, breezed on Monday morning in company with Sea Calisi on Saratoga's training track. The 2014 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf champion clocked five furlongs in 1:01.64 on turf classified as "good."

The work was part of Lady Eli's road to her 2016 debut as she is pointing towards the Grade 2, $400,000 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa on August 27.

The Sheep Pond Partners' 4-year-old, who is 6-for-6 in her career, has totaled nearly $1.5 million in earnings. Lady Eli has been sidelined following her victory in the 2015 Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational.

"I was very pleased with the work," Brown said. "The two riders executed it perfectly."

Lewis Bay, who came in second in the Grade 1 Mother Goose on July 2 at Belmont, worked four furlongs in 48.00 seconds on Friday in preparation for the Grade 1, $500,000 Test on August 6.

Lewis Bay, a 3-year-old bay filly, will go in the seven-furlong Test after a third-place showing in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks over 1 1/8 miles and the 1 1/16-mile Mother Goose.

"Earlier on in the year, I wouldn't have thought I'd be headed to the Test," Brown said. "But based on the last couple of races the way she's run, she looks like a horse to me that's asking for a cutback. I'm going to give her this opportunity and see what happens."

Beach Patrol was originally a possibility for the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on Friday, but Brown said the 3-year-old Lemon Drop Kid colt will go instead to the Grade 1 Secretariat on August 13 at Arlington Park. 

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With Upstart already confirmed for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Whitney next weekend, trainer Rick Violette Jr. continues to mull the inclusion of multiple Grade 3 winner Samraat in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile Saratoga classic.

Owned and bred by Len Riggio's My Meadowview Farm in New York, Samraat earned a career-high 103 Beyer Speed Figure for his bold runner-up finish to Effinex in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap on July 9 at Belmont Park. Violette said if the 5-year-old son of Noble Causeway skips the Whitney, he will be pointed instead to the Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward on September 3.

"We're still on the fence with Samraat," Violette said shortly after training hours closed Monday morning. "I'll talk to Mr. Riggio today, get his thoughts, and decide sometime tomorrow.

"I think it might be a little close from his Suburban. That was a pretty big effort, a career best, and it's only four weeks," he continued. "Sometimes horses tease you and act a little better than they really feel and they end up disappointing you. So we're just trying to be careful, he's been great to us and if you have to run one time less to get really good efforts out of them then that's what you're supposed to do."

Samraat is still looking for his first victory of 2016 after a pair of seconds in the Grade 3 Westchester and Suburban and a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Brooklyn. As a 3-year-old, Samraat opened his career with five straight wins, including Grade 3 scores in the Withers and Gotham, before finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby and sixth in the Belmont.

If Samraat runs in the Whitney, Violette said, he will likely be ridden by Jose Ortiz.

Violette reported that Upstart continues to train forwardly ahead of his Whitney bid and will again sport the blinkers he added prior to his third-place finish in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, which was won by expected Whitney heavyweight Frosted by an astounding 14 ¼ lengths.

"He's doing wonderfully. He's training great," said Violette. "We breezed him out of the gate with blinkers on and he was a rocket. He's been a little bit tardy leaving the gate and taking the last seat available rather than getting in a spot that would be most advantageous. Hopefully he breaks clean and Irad can put him wherever he thinks is best. It's going to be a small field but I think it's a deep bunch, and if Frosted runs back to his Met Mile, we're all running for second." 

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Picking up her fourth career graded stakes win over a sloppy main track in Sunday's Grade 3 Shuvee Handicap, trainer Todd Pletcher said that Curalinareturned from the race in fine fettle.

"She came back in great shape this morning," said Pletcher. "She seemed to take the race very well."

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Pletcher went on one race later to saddle 3-year-old Caribbean to a maiden-breaking victory for the same connections in a race that was moved off the turf.

"We weren't 100 percent sure what to expect from him [Caribbean] first time on the dirt, but we felt like he trained well enough to give it a try," said Pletcher. "I think it was his second start as a gelding and I think that kind of helped. He's behaved much more professionally in the paddock and he ran a little more professionally as well. It was good to see."

With two wins on Sunday's card, Pletcher is now in second place in the trainer standings, only one behind current leading trainer Chad Brown, who has nine. Both trainers have entries slated for Monday's stake the $100,000 Coronation Cup withLost Raven and Brinkley for Pletcher and Ava's Kitten for Brown to close out Week 2 at Saratoga. 

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Caress winner Miss Ella has emerged from her 2 ½-length romp in the slop on Sunday in fine shape, according to trainer Graham Motion, who notched his fourth victory in nine starts this meet at Saratoga.

"That was great," he said. "We've had a good start, it's been nice."

Motion said that Jack Swain III's 4-year-old Exchange Rate homebred could make another Spa appearance in the $100,000 Smart N Fancy on August 28 at 5 ½ furlongs on the grass or could target the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes on Monday September 19, a 6 ½ furlong sprint on Tapeta.

Motion reported that Miss Temple City has settled in well back at her Fair Hill training base following the Grade 1 Diana on July 23, where she ran fourth in a blanket finish, only a neck behind Dacita. By Temple City, the 4-year-old was making her first start since at Royal Ascot in June and could be possible to return this summer in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa on August 27.

"It depends," said Motion. "If Tepin and Lady Eli run there, I'm not sure, we might go find somewhere else, but she could come back [to Saratoga]."

Motion added that Real Smart, two-length winner of the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial on July 9, is on tap for the Grade 3, $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya on Whitney Day next weekend while multiple graded stakes winner Ring Weekend is possible to make his second start of the year in the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap on August 13. 

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Multiple stakes winner Too Discreet heads a field of eight 3-year-olds entered on the turf for the $100,000 Quick Call on Thursday.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the New York-bred Discreet Cat colt was 2-for-2 last season at Saratoga at the Quick Call's distance of 5 ½ furlongs, with victories in a maiden race and the Schenectady.

This year, the Patricia Generazio color-bearer's lone win in three starts came in the seven-furlong Paradise Creek at Belmont, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 1 1/16-mile Woodhaven and the one-mile Manila.

Joel Rosario has the mount aboard the 2-1 morning-line favorite, who drew the outside post.

Expected to vie for favoritism are Holding Gold, who has one win and two seconds this year for trainer Mark Casse, and Commend, shortening up from his recent six-furlong maiden win for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Holding Gold, tabbed at 5-2 on the morning line, drew post position 7 under Julien Leparaoux, while Commend, 3-1, will leave from post position 3 under Junior Alvarado.

Rounding out the field, from the rail out, are the Linda Rice-trained Tiz Long Gone, making his Spa debut; Bust Another, second in his turf debut in the New York Stallion Series in June at Belmont; Expected Ruler, winner of a 5 ½-furlong allowance at Keeneland three starts back; Don't Be So Salty, in search of his first win of 2016, and Save the Drama, making his first start on turf.

Sudden Surprise was entered but will run only if the race comes off the turf.