And One More Time, shown winning the Grade 1 Natalma at Woodbine as a juvenile, returned to front-running form to wire the Listed De La Rose at Saratoga. (Michael Burns)
Christian Abdo
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Live Oak Plantation’s And One More Time showed why she was the field’s lone Grade 1-winner when taking them all the way in Friday’s Listed $150,000 De La Rose, an inner turf mile restricted to older fillies and mares who had not won a graded stakes in 2025-26, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the 4-year-old Omaha Beach dark bay captured the one-mile Grade 1 Natalma as a juvenile at Woodbine Racetrack before a one-year respite. And One More Time returned with a victory in a September optional claimer there and has competed at the stakes-level since.
Two starts back, And One More Time wired the one-mile Listed Plenty of Grace in April at Aqueduct Racetrack ahead of a last-out off-the-pace fifth, under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, at the same distance in the Grade 1 Just a Game presented by Resolute Racing on June 6 here.
In the De La Rose, with Hall of Famer John Velazquez aboard for the first time in the afternoon, And One More Time returned to pacesetting tactics to post a 1 1/4-length victory in an eight-horse group that included three others exiting Grade 1 company.
“She had a tough trip last time, it wasn’t her fault. She was wide on both turns. I felt like looking at the horses that had beat her before, she could beat them [today],” Casse said, adding that he called his shot to his wife, Tina, and Velazquez. “I told my wife and I told Johnny, ‘I think we win this thing.’”
After Deep Satin, who won a division of the De La Rose last year, broke through the gate and was reloaded, And One More Time jumped sharply from post 2 to lead through an opening quarter-mile in 24.32 seconds over the firm turf while pressured by Deep Satin and Being Betty.
And One More Time, who went off a very slight favorite over Sandtrap, led the tightly bunched field down the backside as the latter traveled between Hang the Moon and Being Betty as the half-mile elapsed in 48.13.
And One More Time spun the field around the turn with Deep Satin still by her side as three-quarters went in 1:10.95. Once straightened for home, the pacesetter pressed on as Hang the Moon made her run up the inside under Irad Ortiz, Jr., while Deep Satin and Sandtrap brushed while closing down the center of the course.
Several rivals gave chase, including late charges from Awesome Czech and Table Flirt, but no one could collar And One More Time as she kept 1 1/4 lengths clear of Hang the Moon in a final time of 1:34.36.
Sandtrap was a nose behind Hang the Moon in third, with a half-length back to Awesome Czech in fourth. Table Flirt, Deep Satin, Proctor Street and Being Betty completed the order of finish.
A stewards’ inquiry into the stretch run after Deep Satin checked resulted in no change to the order of finish. The inquiry sign flashed next to And One More Time’s number on the tote board, but Velazquez maintained that he was well clear of any contact behind him.
“I was in front. Whatever happened behind me had nothing to do with me,” Velazquez said. “Why would it be me, everyone was behind me. She drifted a little bit in the stretch, but I kept her straight and got after her. I’m two lengths in front of everybody.”
Potential pace combatants Salty Senorita, cross-entered in the Grade 2 Nassau on Sunday at Woodbine, and Long Ago, cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 3 Matchmaker at Monmouth Park, were scratched. Main track-only entrants Scalable, Bernietakescharge, With the Angels and Going Steady were also scratched.
“That was alright, too. That didn’t hurt my feelings,” Casse said of the speedy defections. “She will settle though, a little, if you have to. She just had a tough trip [last time] and it wasn’t Javi’s [Castellano] fault. She got hung out a little both turns.”
Casse said he will consider And One More Time for the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa presented by STIHL on August 22 here, but doesn’t want to match her up against Just a Game-winning stablemate Classic Q.
“Maybe. I’m just not running her and Classic Q together – they both have the same [style],” Casse said, adding that the latter is targeting the Grade 1, $750,000 Fourstardave versus males on August 8 here. “That’s the plan. She worked good this morning.”
Ortiz, Jr., who won four races on the day, said the Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained Hang the Moon was game after exiting the inside post.
“She ran really good. I had a good post position, and I used it,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “I saved ground every step of the way. Getting down the lane, I had space to go inside so I go for it and was lucky to hold second. She ran really good, I’m happy with her.”
Bred in Kentucky by William Harrigan and Mike Pietrangelo, And One More Time, a $750,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, is out of the Blame mare Complicated and is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Honor D Lady. She earned $82,500 in victory while improving her record to 10-5-1-0 and returning $7.08 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Saturday with a 12-race program, highlighted by the Grade 1 Dunkin’ Diana in Race 5 and the Grade 3 Coronation Cup in Race 8. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
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