Ozara out front as she captures three at Saratoga. (Adam Coglianese/NYRA)
By Mary Eddy
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Cheyenne Stables’ Ozara brought her Saratoga Race Course record to a perfect 3-for-3 with a 1 1/2-length victory in Friday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa, a 1 1/16-mile Mellon turf test for older fillies and mares.
Trained by Miguel Clement, the 4-year-old Lope de Vega filly adds to a last-out win under returning rider Dylan Davis in a division of the restricted one-mile Listed De La Rose on July 10, as well as a debut graduation over the Ballston Spa distance in 2023 when in the care of late conditioner Christophe Clement.
“She’s based here, and she got into a great momentum here and was able to raise it to another level,” Clement said. “She’s 3-for-3 here. She won here impressively as a 2-year-old; she came back and won the De La Rose and now the Ballston Spa, so she’s undefeated here. I guess Saratoga suits her by having so much tactical speed. Today, they were rolling – 46 and change – and she was always traveling strong on the bridle. Short stretch, a bit speed-favoring and that’s her type of game.”
Ozara was away evenly from post 2-of-7 and stuck to the inside under Davis as Edict made the early lead and No Mo Candy, splitting between her and Ocean Club, applied mild pressure through the opening quarter-mile in 23 seconds flat over the firm footing.
“I just wanted to break well and get good position, I was not really sure how it was going to play out, it looked like there was good speed,” Davis explained. “Broke well, was laying in the pocket trip and she was traveling nice for me, switched off down the backside and got into a good rhythm.”
Edict showed the way down the backstretch with No Mo Candy sticking to her flank with Ozara and Ocean Club on even terms just behind as the half-mile elapsed in 46.69. No Mo Candy inched closer to the lead approaching the turn and was head-to-head with Edict through three-quarters in 1:10.33 while Ozara was lying in wait on the inside.
The field straightened for home and Davis made his move, angling around the pacesetters through a small seam to the inside of the favored Deep Satin in the center of the course. No Mo Candy had arrested command from a tiring Edict and attempted to draw off when shown a left-handed stick from Irad Ortiz, Jr., but Ozara showed an impressive turn-of-foot with two taps of the crop from Davis and swept past her rival inside the final sixteenth to win wrapped up in a final time of 1:39.65.
The Jose Ortiz-piloted Deep Satin kept rolling late to land place honors by a head over No Mo Candy with Whiskey Decision completing the superfecta. Edict, Maggie Go and Ocean Club rounded out the order of finish. Be Your Best, who runs in Saturday’s Grade 2 Beverly D. at Colonial Downs, and Freedom Speaks were scratched, along with main track-only entrants Bernietakescharge, Amanda’s Folly and Just Music.
Davis said he was able to make his winning move when the Hall of Famer John Velazquez-piloted Edict threw in the towel.
“Johnny just ended up backing up a little earlier than I thought. I was able to work an outside trip from there without causing any trouble and I just tapped her one time left-handed and she responded really nicely,” Davis said. “She took me on through the wire, a little bit green there, I guess she saw something with the cameras there late, before the wire she ducked in a little bit, but it was enough there.”
Davis, who is a Saratoga native, added it is special to win a race named for the quaint town just nine miles from Saratoga Race Course.
“It’s incredible. Any win here is special so it’s nice to win and being a home-towner it’s great to see all the friends out here supporting me and everyone here,” Davis said. “So, it’s always a great feeling to win.”
The Ballston Spa marked Ozara’s third stakes start in eight weeks, beginning with a third in the Grade 3 Eatontown on June 14 over good Monmouth Park turf. Clement said the filly’s class has allowed her to keep delivering quality performances.
“I was worried about the De La Rose because we were wheeling her back quick, but I was upset with the race at Monmouth because I think the ground got us beat,” Clement explained. “I was very upset and then she won well here and she was training well enough, so I said, ‘let’s go for it.’ To run her three times at the top level in eight weeks is by some people’s standards aggressive, but she was training well, her appetite was great, and her energy level was up to marks. So, go for it. You have more to gain by running and performing than they do in the stalls. You need to be aggressive and go for it.”
Clement said the Grade 1 First Lady on October 4 at Keeneland is a logical next target, but also mentioned a potential trip to Del Mar late in the year for the Grade 1 Matriarch, a race that has been won by preceding De La Rose winners Uni [2018], Got Stormy [2019], Viadera [2020] and Regal Glory [2021].
“You have to think about it. You have the Grade 1 at Keeneland potentially – or at the end of the year, the Matriarch,” Clement said. “Look at the historical stats of what De La Rose winners have done in the Matriarch recently. It’s food for thought. Let’s just enjoy it and see how she comes out of it.”
Ortiz said the Cherie DeVaux-trained Deep Satin, who won the other division of the De La Rose last out, ran gamely with an ideal trip.
“That was a great trip. I saved ground both turns. I was just second best today,” Ortiz said. “We are still very happy with the performance. A graded stakes placing is huge for a filly, so we are happy with that.”
Bred in Ireland by Fleche D’Or Partnership, Ozara banked $165,000 in victory while returning $9.20 on a $2 win ticket. Her seven wins from 13 outings also include victories in three Gulfstream Park stakes, taking the 2023 Wait a While, last year’s Listed Ginger Brew and this year’s Monroe in April.
Live racing resumes Saturday at Saratoga with a 12-race card, featuring the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer – a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf – in Race 10 and the Grade 2, $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational in Race 9. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
