Fully Subscribed dazzles in the Personal Ensign, NYRA Photo
Alicia Hughes
The top-level accolades that had eluded Klaravich Stables’ Fully Subscribed heading into Saturday’s blockbuster card at Saratoga Race Course could escape the 4-year-old filly no longer as she uncorked a monster performance to annex the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign, the nine-furlong route for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up.
In addition to adding a first Grade 1 victory to her resume, the Tiz the Law chestnut earned a “Win and You’re In” fees-paid berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff in October at Keeneland.
Among those likely to be in that Distaff starting gate is divisional leader Nitrogen, who bested Fully Subscribed by more than a dozen lengths when the two met in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford in June at the Spa. With Nitrogen cooling her heels following a brave runner-up finish against males in the Grade 1 Whitney earlier this month, the door of opportunity was open for one of the six entrants in the Personal Ensign field to add one of the most prestigious prizes in the distaff ranks to their list of bragging rights.
Soon after the field hit the top of the lane, it became apparent Fully Subscribed would be the one meeting the moment for all it was worth. Similar to how she ran by dual Grade 1-winner Scottish Lassie in the lane en route to a half-length victory in the Grade 2 Shuvee here on July 24, Fully Subscribed again had dead aim on that rival as they set down for the stretch drive only this time, the attack would come earlier and with even more devastating results. As she advanced on the outside under jockey Flavien Prat, the Chad Brown-trained Fully Subscribed turned the final furlong into a one-horse showcase, kicking on with ease as she cantered under the wire 9 3/4 lengths in front.
“Very gratifying. She’s always trained super, like a Grade 1 quality filly,” said the five-time Eclipse Award-winning Brown, who won the Personal Ensign for the second time in the last three years. “[She] came up a little bit short to start the season, but she’s kept improving slowly and steadily, and she’s a high-quality race mare. I’m so happy. Heck of a crowd here today at Saratoga. She got to show her stuff and show what she can really do.”
Brown has previously compared Fully Subscribed to his 2024 Personal Ensign winner Raging Sea and indeed, the copper-colored filly has followed a near identical path as her predecessor as both rebounded from being beaten in the Ogden Phipps and used the Shuvee as a springboard to their greatest success. Another similarity between those two runners is the fact they rarely failed to show up on the track as Fully Subscribed has never been worse than third in her nine-race career.
Sent off as the 4-5 betting favorite Saturday, Fully Subscribed jumped well from post 2 en route to what would become her fifth career victory before settling in along the rail in third as longshot Snowyte led the opening quarter in 24.11 seconds over the fast footing with Scottish Lassie tracking in second.
The top three held those positions down the backstretch as Snowyte opened up by two lengths over Scottish Lassie while carving out a half mile in 47.64 as the eventual winner bided her time while taking the shortest route around the track.
“I had a good trip,” said Prat, who earned his third win on the day and would add a fourth one race later aboard Naomis in the Grade 2 Lake Placid. “She was forward going into the first turn and I was able to save ground all the way around and she gave me a good run. It’s always an advantage to be inside and save ground.”
When Prat began asking Fully Subscribed for another gear while still traveling inside near the three-eighths pole, the response he got allowed him to angle his partner out and have clear aim at Scottish Lassie, who was trying to add another top-level victory at Saratoga to a resume that already featured triumphs in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Frizette. A couple right-handed taps from Prat was all Fully Subscribed would need to uncork her best self en route to crossing the wire in a final time of 1:49.23.
“I didn’t see any scenarios where she’d actually be on the lead, but I did want to leave out of there [the gate] forward and kind of make them clear us a bit and go,” Brown said of the trip. “I felt pretty confident with our inside draw, and the other contenders drawn outside of us, that potentially they would get wider trips just because the speed horse is going to stay off the rail and maybe try to intimidate us down there, but I encouraged Flavien to just stay on the fence and save the ground. Let them take their wide trips maybe even though they’re more forward and when the time comes, work your way around them, and he executed it perfectly.”
Scottish Lassie held on for second, finishing a half-length in front of Nerazurri in third. Snowyte faded to fourth with Margie’s Intention and Speed Shopper rounding out the order of finish.
“She ran hard, and I think Prat rode a very smart race because he knew we were the only other horse to beat,” said Jorge Abreu, trainer of Scottish Lassie. “I don’t know what to make of it. I thought she was much readier today [than last time], but that’s horse racing. We’re still going to the Breeders’ Cup anyways.”
Fully Subscribed was purchased for $300,000 at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the winning Candy Ride mare Sweetbaby. Her second dam is Grade 1-winning millionaire Rutherienne, who won eight graded stakes in her 11-for-24 career.
Bred in Kentucky by Payson Stud, Fully Subscribed banked $275,000 in victory. She returned $3.86 for a $2 win bet.
Brown indicated Fully Subscribed could start next in either the Grade 2 Beldame at the newly renovated Belmont Park on September 25 or head to Keeneland, host of this year’s Breeders’ Cup, for a possible run in the Grade 1 Spinster on October 4.
“The Spinster of course is over at the same track that they’re going to run the Breeders’ Cup,” Brown said. “[We’ll] survey what is going on in the division, who’s doing what, what the potential field looks like and go from there.”
Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card featuring the $200,000 Yaddo in Race 9. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
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