Saratoga Oaks

The powerful team of owner/breeder Godolphin, trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick celebrated a second lucrative victory over the Saratoga turf in as many days as With The Moonlight led home a one-two finish for her sire in the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational Sunday. Having finished second to re-opposing McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the July 9 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational, she was backed at even-money with a perceived pace advantage on that rival and after stablemate Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) parlayed a second in last month's GI...

A half-dozen 3-year-old fillies, topped by the one-two finishers in the July 9 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S., will do battle in Sunday's GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S., one of three graded stakes taking place on the first Sunday in August. Highly-regarded McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}), named after trainer Chad Brown's first employee when he struck out on his own, was an impressive debut winner last summer at the Spa, but went winless in her next three starts while placing in the GII Miss Grillo S., GII Edgewood S. and...

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph Graffeo, Erik Nikolaus Del Toro, and Troy Johnson's Con Lima (Commissioner) has been named the 2021 Texas Horse of the Year by the Texas Thoroughbred Association. She was also named Champion Three-Year-Old Texas-Bred Filly for 2021 following a season that included wins in the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S., GIII Wonder Again S. and GIII Herecomesthebride S. Bred by Lisa Kuhlmann, the dark bay also added wins in the Ginger Brew S. and Honey Ryder S. and runner-up efforts in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S....

It's the kind of tale that might prompt a listening barman to catch the eye of one of the regulars and give a wink. Sure you have, pal. A Texas-bred Commissioner filly? You hear that, folks? This guy has a $22,000 2-year-old RNA with a Hall of Fame trainer. And she's the top turf sophomore filly in America. Well I guess it must be your round, buddy. But nobody needs to tell Joseph F. Graffeo, himself the son of a bartender, the kind of odds being confounded by Con Lima,...

Sunday, Saratoga SARATOGA OAKS INVITATIONAL S.-GIII, $700,000, Saratoga, 8-8, 3yo, f, 1 3/16mT, 1:54.42, fm. 1--CON LIMA, 121, f, 3, by Commissioner 1st Dam: Second Street City (SW, $209,843), by Consolidator 2nd Dam: Trix City, by Carson City 3rd Dam: Always Nettie, by Vice Regent ($15,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $19,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEESEP; $22,000 RNA 2yo '20 OBSMAR). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Joseph F. Graffeo, Eric Nikolaus Del Toro & Troy Johnson; B-Lisa Kuhlmann (TX); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Flavien Prat. $375,000. Lifetime Record: 13-7-5-0, $884,865. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click...

Freshly minted Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher sends GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. runner-up Con Lima (Commissioner) to target the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S., the middle jewel of NYRA's Turf Tiara Series and upgraded in its third edition this year to graded status. At 1 3/16 miles, Sunday's Saratoga Oaks is just a hair shorter than the July 10 Belmont Oaks, in which Con Lima led but yielded in the final strides to Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who hailed from the powerful Aidan O'Brien barn with Group 1...

NYRA's Turf Triple series for fillies will be incentivized by a pair of lucrative bonus opportunities at the upcoming Belmont Park and Saratoga meets. The Turf Triple series for fillies kicks off July 10 at Belmont with the $700,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. The series continues with the $700,000 GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational Aug. 8 and is completed by the Jockey Club Oaks at the Belmont fall meet. The "New York Stakes Turf Bonus" will provide $315,000 to the owner and $35,000 to the trainer of any previous winner...

Godolphin homebred Antoinette (Hard Spun) made all the running in Sunday's $500,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. to more than double her bankroll with a half-length victory over Stunning Sky (Declaration of War). A second-out winner on the Belmont grass last October, the Bill Mott pupil took Aqueduct's rained-off Tepin S. in December. That effort likely had her connections thinking GI Kentucky Oaks, and she resurfaced to be third in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 21 behind Saturday's GI Alabama S. runner-up Bonny South (Munnings). Third again when favored in...

Allen Stable's Enola Gay (Uncle Mo) will look to make it two in a row when she goes postward as the morning-line favorite in the Saratoga Oaks at Saratoga Sunday. The Joe Allen homebred opened her career with an impressive debut win at Kentucky Downs, but went to the sidelines following a fourth-place effort over the Aqueduct lawn in the six-furlong Stewart Manor S. last November. Stretched to a mile while making her return in the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland last time out, the bay filly closed stoutly to...