2023 Ballston Spa Stakes Preview | Technical Analysis Strives For Saratoga Repeat Success

Throughout the past three summers at Saratoga Race Course, four-time graded stakes winner Technical Analysis has provided some fond memories for owner Seth Klarman of Klaravich Stables.

She will look to continue her winning ways in pursuit of a repeat victory in the 35th running of Thursday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Mohegan Sun Ballston Spa for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 over the inner turf.

The Ballston Spa is slated as Race 9 on Thursday’s 10-race program. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

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Trained by Chad Brown, Technical Analysis brings a record of 14-7-4-1 with earnings just under the million-dollar mark at $964,543. A four-time winner of five Saratoga starts, the 5-year-old Kingman bay has won at least one stakes race each Spa meet since 2021.

Brown has already saddled five stakes winners this meet for Klarman, including Technical Analysis, who enters from a 3 1/2-length triumph in the restricted De La Rose on August 2 going one mile over the inner turf. The dynamic owner-trainer duo also visited the Saratoga winner’s circle when securing stakes victories with Randomized [Wilton], Surge Capacity [Grade 3 Lake George], McKulick [Grade 2 Glens Falls] and Program Trading [Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational].

“She’s been remarkably good and consistent for us. We’re fortunate to have her in the barn,” Klarman said of Technical Analysis. “It’s great to have talented horses and it’s also great to have horses fire their best shot every time. It’s a pleasure to lead her over. It’s great when you have someone that’s that consistent and brings her ‘A’ game every time. We’ve been very fortunate to have a horse like her.”

Technical Analysis’ love affair with the Spa began during her sophomore season when she secured wins in the Grade 3 Lake George and Grade 2 Lake Placid. Following a runner-up finish behind stablemate Shantisara in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, she was given an extended freshening and returned to action with a hard-fought second in Aqueduct’s Plenty of Grace last April.

She made her second 4-year-old appearance a triumphant one when shipping to Pimlico Race Course for the Grade 3 Gallorette on the same day that Klarman saw his Early Voting capture the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes.

“It was mind boggling,” recalled Klarman, who grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. “We obviously were thrilled to have her win. It was a great day and she certainly kicked things off in fine fashion for us.”

Following the hometown victory for Klarman, Technical Analysis returned that summer to finish second in her lone Spa defeat in the Grade 1 Diana behind stablemate In Italian – who led a Brown-trained superfecta.

From there, she successfully found redemption when she led from start to finish in last year’s Ballston Spa, fending off a late rally from stablemate and returning rival Fluffy Socks by a half-length, earning a career-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She’s been remarkably consistent. When a horse loves the track, you want to make sure she gets any chance to run there and we’ve been very fortunate over the years to see her perform so well each time,” Klarman said. “Every race has to be taken on its own, but we think she’ll run well and we’re looking forward to seeing her go again. Nothing is easy at Saratoga, and we know that.”

Technical Analysis has been just one of a handful of horses purchased by Klarman at the overseas Tattersalls October Sale. Program Trading and McKulick were purchased at the same sale, as well as Klaravich-owned Grade 1-winers Newspaperofrecord, Domestic Spending, and Digital Age. Technical Analysis, out of the Sea the Stars mare Sealife, was bought for $258,109.

“It seemed like an interesting experiment, and it’s gone exceptionally well. We’re very, very happy that we’ve embarked on that,” Klarman said.

Jose Ortiz, the regular rider for Technical Analysis, will retain the mount from post 8.

Klaravich and Brown will also be represented by Consumer Spending [post 2, Joel Rosario], a talented filly in her own right who arrives off a pair of graded stakes victories at Monmouth Park.

The 4-year-old More Than Ready gray captured the Grade 3 Eatontown on June 17 going 1 1/16 miles one month before winning the Grade 3 Matchmaker on July 22 at nine furlongs. These two efforts came following a 2023 debut when second in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 7 at Belmont to stablemate and Klaravich color bearer Marketsegmentation, who exited that effort to capture the Grade 1 New York at the same track.

A two-time stakes winner at three, Consumer Spending defeated 2021 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca in the Memories of Silver at Aqueduct before making the grade in the Grade 2 Wonder Again at Belmont.

Klarman credited Brown for his horsemanship and tremendous attention to detail.

“Chad’s a remarkable professional. He’s on top of every detail. He has a photographic memory and remarkable knowledge on every horse. He has a laser like judgement on where to enter,” Klarman said.

Bred in Kentucky by Forging Oaks Farm, Consumer Spending is out of the Scat Daddy mare Siempre Mia, whose dam Shaconage was a dual graded stakes winner on turf. She was bought for $200,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Select Sale.

Brown will also saddle Peter Brant’s Speak of the Devil [post 6, Flavien Prat], who was a last out slow-breaking fifth in the Grade 1 Just a Game on June 10 at Belmont Park.

The French-bred Wootton Basset 6-year-old was triumphant in her stateside debut last May, when beating eventual Grade 1 winner and stablemate In Italian in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs.

A four-time winner in her native country, Speak of the Devil was dual Group 1 placed when finishing second beaten a nose in the 2020 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches at Deauville for previous trainer Fabrice Chappet. The following year, for trainer Frederic Rossi, she was third beaten a head in the Prix Rothschild at Deauville.

Completing a Brown-trained foursome is Head of Plains Partners’ homebred Fluffy Socks [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], who is the lone millionaire in the field.

The 5-year-old Slumber bay was winless in six starts last year, which included a runner-up effort behind Technical Analysis in the Ballston Spa, but was triumphant in her 2023 debut in capturing the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile on May 6 at Churchill Downs, where she defeated New York-bred Horse of the Year Spendarella by one length.

A win would give Fluffy Socks a fourth graded stakes triumph over as many tracks. At two, she shipped to Del Mar for a Grade 3 Jimmy Durante coup before capturing the following year’s Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont Park.

Trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci will saddle graded stakes winner Evvie Jets [post 3, Luis Saez], who will look to make amends after finishing sixth in the De La Rose.

Owned by The Estate of Robert Amendola, the Twirling Candy bay boasts frontrunning scores in last year’s Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont at the Big A two starts before a triumphant 5-year-old debut over eventual Grade 1 Diana winner Whitebeam in the one-mile Plenty of Grace in April at Aqueduct.

Following a distant sixth in the next-out Beaugay, she utilized her early foot to go gate-to-wire in the Perfect Sting on July 2 at Belmont, defeating Technical Analysis by a half-length.

Mrs. Doreen Tabor’s Jumbly [post 1, John Velazquez] will go past one mile for the first time as she makes the journey across the pond for her stateside debut.

Trained by Joseph O’Brien, the 4-year-old Gleneagles bay was a last-out fourth as the favorite in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge on June 21 at Royal Ascot. She capped her sophomore campaign with a triumph in the Group 3 Valiant during last year’s Royal Ascot meet.

Bred in Great Britain by Emily Rothschild, Jumbly is out of the Group 1-winning Selkirk mare Thistle Bird, who also produced Group 3 winner Epictetus.

Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey will saddle Phipps Stable’s Kentucky homebred Surprisingly [post 5, Javier Castellano] following a pair of runner-up efforts to Consumer Spending in the Eatontown and Matchmaker at Monmouth Park.

The bay daughter of third-crop sire Mastery was triumphant in the Grade 3 Endeavor on February 4 at Tampa Bay Downs, which was her 4-year-old debut as well as her first start in a graded stake. She has picked up more black type in each start since, rounding out the trifecta in the Grade 2 Hillsborough on March 11 at Tampa Bay Downs and the Beaugay en route to her Monmouth placings.

Completing the field are Anthony McLoughlin’s stakes-placed Irish homebred Sister Bridget [post 7, Katie Davis], who adds blinkers for trainer Cleveland Johnson, and Lazy F Ranch’s dual graded stakes victress Gam’s Mission [post 9, Tyler Gaffalione] for trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Into Happiness has been entered for main track only.