In the 40th running of the Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga Springs, Mechanicville’s Chad Brown entered four fillies with the hope of winning his 26th race of the season. Not only did he train the winner, Aspray, but his fillies also took second and fourth place in the Grade II race, which featured eight 3-year-old fillies.
Aspray, a home-bred for Ranjan Racing, secured the lead on the inner turf course with a furlong to go and effortlessly crossed the finish line with a two-length advantage over Surge Capacity from Klaravich Stable. Surge Capacity had previously won the Grade III Lake George Stakes at Spa.
Soviet Excess, a long shot from Wertheimer Et Frere, finished just a head behind Surge Capacity, earning third place for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Tax Implications from Klaravich Stable, who came in second to Surge Capacity in the Lake George, placed fourth in the Lake Placid, missing out on third place by just a neck.
Aspray completed the mile and a sixteenth in 1 minute, 42.85 seconds on a good-rated course. This victory marked Aspray’s fourth win out of five starts. She is the daughter of Quality Road and the Irish-bred mare Up. While her only race that didn’t end in the winners’ circle was the Grade I Belmont Oaks Invitational, where she finished fourth, she previously triumphed in a maiden and an allowance race at Tampa Bay, as well as the $100,000 Hilltop at Pimlico.
With her Lake Placid win, Aspray’s racing earnings surpassed the quarter million-dollar mark, as she received a $110,000 check from NYRA.
Despite already having five Saratoga training trophies, Chad Brown admits to occasional training glitches. Reflecting on Aspray’s performance in the Belmont Oaks Invitational, he mentioned training her too far for the prestigious race. However, jockey Flavien Prat’s insight and suggestion to cut her back to a distance of 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles proved to be the right decision.
In other news, trainer Todd Pletcher prepared his two Travers contenders for their final preps. Forte from Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, who would have been the favorite in this year’s Kentucky Derby if not for a foot bruise, galloped a half mile in 50.50 seconds. Tapit Trice from Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway, who finished third in the Belmont Stakes and fifth in the Haskell Stakes, covered the same distance in 49.22 seconds. Pletcher decided to equip Tapit Trice with blinkers to improve his focus during the race.
Kentucky Derby winner Mage also had his final tune-up before the Travers, completing six furlongs in 1 minute, 15.56 seconds. The work was described as a “maintenance breeze” by assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr.
Meanwhile, Preakness winner National Treasure worked five furlongs in 1 minute, 00.40 seconds at Del Mar. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert announced that the colt will ship to Saratoga to prepare for the Grade I Travers Stakes. Baffert recognized the Travers as a significant race, especially with a rematch between National Treasure, Derby winner Mage, and Belmont winner Arcangelo.
Accompanying National Treasure to Saratoga will be Arabian Lion and Fort Bragg, both contending in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial. Arabian Lion clocked in at 59.20 seconds for five furlongs from the gate, while Fort Bragg completed the same distance in 59.60 seconds.
With the anticipation building, Saratoga is gearing up for an exciting Travers Stakes.
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