KatieRich Stables\u2019 Grade 1-placed May Day Ready looks to get back to the winner\u2019s circle in Saturday\u2019s Grade 2, $400,000 Lake Placid, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.<\/p>\n
Trained by Joe Lee, the Tapit bay posted a strong juvenile campaign, graduating on debut by a nose last August here ahead of stakes victories in the one-mile Listed Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies and Keeneland\u2019s 1 1\/16-mile Grade 2 Jessamine. She was second next in the Grade 1 Breeders\u2019 Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf beaten 1 1\/2 lengths by multiple Grade\/Group 1-winner Lake Victoria going one mile in November at Del Mar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mile distance is what she wants,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThis race was to give her a distance she probably prefers and to see how she does. We like running in a spot we\u2019ve known she\u2019s liked for her entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n
May Day Ready [post 3, Jose Ortiz] capped her past season with an off-the-board effort in the Group 1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in December at Kyoto in Japan. She returned in the off-the-turf Grade 3 Wonder Again here and was a distant last-of-three to recent Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales-winner Nitrogen in June here, before a last-out rallying fourth in the local Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 5.<\/p>\n
In the Belmont Oaks, a nine-furlong Mellon turf test, May Day Ready leapt and bobbled at the start to travel last-of-7, closing for fourth behind the victorious Fionn as she set a track-record 1:44.84 when nailing Nitrogen at the wire by a nose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe start affected her slightly, but I wouldn\u2019t say that was the main reason she got beat,\u201d said Lee. \u201cThe main reason would be that she didn\u2019t get much out of the Wonder Again. I consider her last race to be her first race of the year, to be honest, and it was maybe a little bit longer than she wanted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
May Day Ready, bred in Kentucky by White Birch Farm, has banked in excess of $1 million via a 7-3-1-1 record. She is out of the multiple Grade\/Group 1-placed More Than Ready mare Nemoralia who was third in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Four G Racing\u2019s Kentucky homebred Reining Flowers [post 6, John Velazquez] has been third in all three starts this year, all stakes, most recently in the 1 1\/16-mile Grade 3 Lake George presented by Surfside on July 26 here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trained by John Ortiz, the Midnight Storm dark bay traveled nearly last-of-seven for the majority of the Lake George before rallying strongly up the rail under Hall of Famer John Velazquez to land a neck behind the victorious Daisy Flyer, while nosed out of place-honors by the favored Classic Q.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reining Flowers earned a career and field-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure in defeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe ran an incredible race last time,\u201d Ortiz said. \u201cShe was very unfortunate to get beat at the wire. She made a huge move up the rail and Johnny absolutely loves her. He knows her very well and I think pointing to the Lake Placid after was the right idea.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Out of the winning Congrats mare Mi Fiori, Reining Flowers is a half-sister to the dual graded stakes-placed Crown Imperial, who is conditioned by Ortiz for the same connections.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like her sister Crown Imperial, she is brave,\u201d said Ortiz. \u201cThe mom is actually putting some real good heart into these babies of hers. That\u2019s shown through the past couple of years and I\u2019m not surprised at all, because these fillies are tiny, but mighty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reining Flowers has hit the board in 8-of-9 career starts, including an additional stakes placing in the Listed P.G. Johnson last August here. She boasts a 9-2-2-4 record with $212,690 in earnings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown has won this event a record six times, including the past four runnings, and has entered LSU Stables\u2019 Play With Fire [post 1, Flavien Prat].\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brown\u2019s past scores include Rushing Fall [2018], Regal Glory [2019, dead-heat with Varenka], as well as Technical Analysis, Haughty, Aspray and Grayosh [2021-24].\u00a0<\/p>\n
Play With Fire makes her second start for current connections following a half-length second to Classic Q in the Listed Wild Applause over course and distance on July 3. The privately purchased Oscar Performance bay made her five prior starts for trainer Brendan Walsh, capped with a one-length score in the one-mile Listed Hilltop in May at Pimlico Race Course. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s training excellent and I\u2019m really pleased with her,\u201d Brown said. \u201cShe came to me in good condition and I felt a little time between races to get her weight back would be beneficial. I\u2019m seeing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bred in Minnesota by Lothenbach Stables, Play With Fire is out of the Street Sense mare Streaming Fire, a half-sister to Grade 3-winner City Attraction.<\/p>\n
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners\u2019 Warming [post 4, Manny Franco] was fifth last out in the Belmont Oaks Invitational. Trained by Graham Motion, the Global Campaign chestnut previously won second off-the-layoff, closing to win a 1 1\/16-mile optional claimer in June at Delaware Park after a close fifth to next-out stakes-winner Love Cervere in the six-furlong Take the A Train in May at Belmont at the Big A.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rounding out the field are Group 2-placed Irish-bred Eponine [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for conditioner Philippe Sogorb and synthetic stakes-winner Scarlet Sands [post 5, Joel Rosario] for trainer Carlos David.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lake Placid, in Race 7, supports a five Grade 1 card with the $1.25 million DraftKings Travers [Race 13, 6:14 p.m.], the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial in Race 10 and three top-level Breeders\u2019 Cup \u201cWin and You\u2019re In\u201d qualifiers with the Forego [Dirt Mile] in Race 12, Resorts World Casino Ballerina [Filly and Mare Sprint] in Race 11 and the Personal Ensign [Distaff] in Race 9.\ufeff<\/p>\n
First post on Saturday\u2019s 14-race card is 11:10 a.m. Eastern with gates opening to the public at 9:00 a.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A special DraftKings Travers Day edition of Saratoga Live will air on FS2 beginning at noon. FOX Saratoga Saturday will present live coverage and analysis of the DraftKings Travers Day stakes action beginning at 3 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
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