A FIELD of six fillies for the opening weekend’s feature at Saratoga sees Chad Brown predictably with the favourite for the Grade 1 Diana Stakes (7.46pm).
He has won the race seven times since 2011.
Not only that, he trains four of the five with the only non-Chad runner the five-year-old Gutaifan mare Fev Rover, a group winner for Nick Bradley and Richard Fahey when trained in Britain.
Despite being the outsider in the morning line betting, she could be in the mix though, as she comes off an impressive victory over the Canadian Queen’s Plate 2022 winner Moira in a Woodbine Group 2 last time. She was fourth, promoted to third, in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor last season.
In Italian is a four-time Grade 1 winner and won the Diana last year. She was hugely impressive in seeing off Spendarella in the Grade 1 Just A Game last time out, her second Grade 1 win of the season and her overall form justifies her short price.
Marketsegmentation, (American Pharoah) is on a three-race winning streak and took her first Grade 1 last time out in the New York Stakes.
Later on the card, the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap over a mile on turf should see Todd Pletcher’s four-year-old War Front colt Annapolis add to his Grade 1 win at Keeneland last year. Casa Creed is a Grade 1 winner and consistent at top level and looks the danger among seven rivals.
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