Undefeated superstar Lady Eli (Divine Park) remains on track for her return to the races after a more than 13-month absence and bout with laminitis, and worked five furlongs over Saratoga's Oklahoma turf course in company with GI Beverly D. S.-bound Sea Calisi (Fr) (Youmzain {Ire}) Sunday morning. The 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and 2015 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. heroine and her talented workmate were clocked in splits of :12 1/5, :24 1/5, and :36 4/5, with an official time of 1:00 1/5 (1/4) for five panels. They galloped out in 1:13 1/5. Lady Eli will make her much-anticipated return to the races in the GII Ballston Spa S. Aug. 27.
“[She's] very much on target from what I saw today,” said Brown. “So long as she doesn't have any setbacks, knock on wood, she's right on target for the Ballston Spa. We're looking forward to running her.”
Brown, who currently leads Todd Pletcher for wins at the Saratoga stand, continued, “It's remarkable what she's accomplished but it's not surprising, because it's her. Being around this horse all this time, since she was two, I've learned her personality, how incredibly talented she is, how tough she is, physically and mentally.
“Lady Eli is made of steel, really, when you think about it. I'm a fan of hers along with being her trainer,” he continued. “It's great to see her go out there and, to me, be back on top in her works. I don't know if I've ever seen her work as well as I what I just saw. I think that's rewarding for the large team of people that worked with this horse to get her where she is today. She's a remarkable horse, but she's had some help along the way, from a lot of talented people who put in a lot of overtime to attend to her every need and, as you saw today, it's paying off.”
In less positive news, Brown revealed that last year's champion male turf horse Big Blue Kitten (Kitten's Joy) would be forced to miss next Saturday's GI Arlington Million S. due to a foot abscess. The 8-year-old was most recently sixth in the GI Woodford Reserve Manhattan S. at Belmont June 11.
“As of this morning, it looks doubtful that he'll be able to make the trip to Arlington,” Brown said. “It looks like something he'll be able to get over in time and be OK, but the timing's terrible.”
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