Charge It to Breeze for G1 Runhappy Travers Sunday Morning
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Reigning Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Malathaat recorded her final serious piece of preparation for the Grade 1, $600,000 Personal Ensign on August 27 at Saratoga Race Course, breezing a half-mile over the main track on Saturday morning.
The 4-year-old daughter of Curlin went in company with unbeaten sophomore Saint Tapit. Both horses, conditioned by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, completed their moves in 49.52 seconds.
“They made a nice pair, I was happy with them both,” Pletcher said.
Malathaat, owned by Shadwell Stable, will be in pursuit of her first Grade 1 victory this year and arrives off a runner-up effort to in the Grade 2 Shuvee on July 24 at Saratoga to returning rival Clairiere. Also by Curlin, Clairiere defeated Malathaat in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on June 11 at Belmont Park.
Pletcher noted the hot weather conditions on the day of Malathaat’s most recent effort.
“It’s going to be a strong race. There’s going to be a lot of good fillies in there and hopefully we get a little more of a kinder temperature than the last time she ran,” Pletcher said.
In addition to Malathaat and Clairiere, the Personal Ensign is also likely to attract last year’s winner and Champion Older Female Letruska and graded stakes winning millionaire Crazy Beautiful.
Last year, Malathaat put together a campaign that saw victories in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland, the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Alabama at the Spa. She capped off her Eclipse Award-winning season with a late-closing third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar. A three-time starter this year, Malathaat won her seasonal debut in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare on April 22 at Keeneland.
A $1,050,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Malathaat is out of Dreaming of Julia – a multiple Grade 1-winning daughter of A.P. Indy.
Whisper Hill Farm’s homebred Saint Tapit, by Tapit and out of 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, is likely to target “stakes action somewhere”, according to Pletcher. Saturday’s work was the royally bred chestnut’s first breeze since defeating winners in a local first-level allowance on August 6.
Pletcher added that he will breeze graded stakes winner Charge It on Sunday morning at 8:45 a.m. over the main track in preparation for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers. Also a Whisper Hill Farm homebred by Tapit, Charge It was initially slated to work on Saturday morning.
NYRA Press Office
Photo: Malathaat (NYRA/Coglianese)
