SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Madaket Stables, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron and Bradley Thoroughbreds’ La Signare has made four of her last six starts in Grade 1 company, completing the trifecta in the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in April and the exacta last out in the Gamely in May at Santa Anita. On Saturday, the Brendan Walsh trainee will look to go one better in Saturday’s Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga.
Walsh said the 6-year-old French-bred daughter of Siyouni has proven herself against top-flight company ahead of Saturday’s nine-furlong inner turf test for older fillies and mares.
“She’s been in against the best of them and she hasn’t let us down,” said Walsh. “If the race sets up right for her then hopefully she’ll be there or thereabouts on Saturday. The more pace in front of her, the better.”
Walsh said La Signare, who boasts a career ledger of 18-3-3-4 and purse earnings of $405,576, always has her game face on.
“She’s a hard-trying filly and she puts in her ‘A’ effort every time,” said Walsh. “Hopefully, she’ll do that again on Saturday. We’re hoping that one of these days soon will be her day, it would be nice if it would be Saturday.”
La Signare made the grade with a front-running score in the 2018 Grade 3 Wonder Again traveling nine furlongs on the Belmont turf and will be looking for her first win since a three-quarter length score in the Sand Springs in March 2020 at Gulfstream.
La Signare will exit the inside post under Ricardo Santana, Jr.
Mueller Thoroughbred Stable’s Candy Landing will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Sanford for 2-year-olds going six furlongs on the main track.
A Kentucky homebred, the bay son of Twirling Candy dueled with Woodline through the early running of his June 11 debut at Churchill Downs, drawing off at the furlong grounds en route to a 4 1/2-length score in the 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight under James Graham. Candy Landing stopped the clock in 1:03.61 over the fast main track and garnered a 70 Beyer.
Candy Landing outran his 17-1 odds and Walsh said he was pleased with the performance.
“I thought he was a nice horse, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the way he ran and the way he won,” said Walsh. “He was very professional. It seemed like he got it all together on the day that mattered.
“He ran well but I think there’s plenty of improvement in the horse,” Walsh added. “He’s got up here to Saratoga and settled in well, so we’re hopeful of a good run on Saturday.”
Graham retains the mount from post 2 in a loaded field of 12 juveniles.
Walsh will also send out a pair of maidens on Saturday’s undercard with Never Say Know in Race 6, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for 2-year-olds; and Crumpin a seven-furlong main track spring for 3-year-olds and up in Race 11.
Marc Detample and American Equistock’s Never Say Know, an Irish-bred son of No Nay Never, adds blinkers after a distant second as the mutuel favorite last out in a 7 1/2-furlong maiden special weight turf tilt on June 24 at Indiana Grand.
The chestnut will exit post 5 under Graham.
Crump, a 3-year-old Godolphin homebred, drew the inside post with Graham aboard in Saturday’s nightcap. By Into Mischief, Crump is out of the multiple graded-stakes winning A.P. Indy mare Flashing.
Crump debuted in September at Churchill, finishing last-of-10 after a troubled trip when bumped at the start.
Walsh said Crump has been working well at his Churchill Downs base toward his return before posting a three-eighths blowout from the gate in 36.02 on July 10 on the Spa main track.
“We did like the horse last year, but I like him a lot more this year,” said Walsh. “He’s been working nice. We’ve got a tough post on Saturday coming off the layoff, but I do like the horse so we’ll run and see what happens. We’re definitely capable of winning a maiden at the meet. If not Saturday, then we’ll look forward from there.”
Walsh said the inside post may be a hindrance.
“He’s fast enough but not super speedy. That’s why I think the post might be challenging for him,” said Walsh.
Walsh said multiple graded stakes winner Maxfield will breeze this weekend as he continues preparations for the nine-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 7 at the Spa, which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“He’s doing great,” said Walsh. “He got up here and seems to be enjoying Saratoga life. The Whitney is the goal.”
A winner of seven-of-eight career starts with purse earnings in excess of $1.2 million, the 4-year-old Street Sense colt captured the 2019 Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.
He suffered his only career defeat in March when third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. In his last two starts, Maxfield has taken a big step forward, garnering triple-digit Beyers, winning the Grade 2 Alysheba [105] and Grade 2 Stephen Foster [103] both at Churchill.
Walsh said Maxfield’s improvement has stemmed from maturity.
“He always threatened to do that. It was just the frame of the horse as a 2-year-old and even as a 3-year-old, he wasn’t fully furnished,” said Walsh. “But he’s grown into himself now and I think he can still get better and there’s more improvement in him.”
NYRA Press Office
Photo: La Signare won the Wonder Again at Belmont Park on June 7, 2018. (Susie Raisher)
