Saratoga Picks | Lake George Stakes 2024

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sends out Oversubscribed, Sweet Rebecca and also-eligible Goa as he looks to secure a record-extending eighth win in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Lake George, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

Brown’s list of Lake George victresses includes Mrs McDougal [2015], Ancient Secret [2016], Regal Glory [2019], Selflessly [2020], Technical Analysis [2021], Dolce Zel [2022] and Surge Capacity [2023].

The Lake George is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 12-race card at Saratoga, which is headlined by the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks in Race 11. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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Klaravich Stables’ Oversubscribed [post 2, Joel Rosario, 122 pounds] enters from a rallying 3 1/4-length score in the one-mile Listed Wild Applause on June 22 over firm Belmont at the Big A turf.

The Too Darn Hot bay rated in sixth position some 19 lengths off the pace of Macanga, who dueled with the Brown-trained Chantilly Road through a half-mile in 46.03 and three-quarters in 1:10.28. The Flavien Prat-piloted Oversubscribed advanced through the far turn, overtaking Macanga at the sixteenth pole to score in a final time of 1:35.59.

“It was an oddly run race – one of them was mine that was not agreeable with the jockey and tried to run off a bit,” Brown recalled. “They got hooked and eyeballed another horse, but the pace ended up benefiting this filly. I wasn’t sure she would be able to make up that much ground, but the pace was fast enough that she was.

“I’ve always thought a lot of her,” Brown added. “Early on last year, I thought she was one of my best 2-year-old turf fillies and she had a minor issue, so we rested her. She’s over that and we’ll see if she can continue to develop.”

Bred in Great Britain by Rabbah Bloodstock Limited, Oversubscribed is out of the group-placed Cape Cross mare Zurigha. She was a $481,041 purchase at the 2021 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Resolute Racing’s Sweet Rebecca [post 6, Tyler Gaffalione, 122 pounds] won her first two career starts in impressive fashion, rallying to a one-length maiden score in March at Gulfstream Park for trainer Brendan Walsh.

She was purchased privately and won her debut for Brown in the Listed Memories of Silver in April at Aqueduct but endured a difficult trip last out under Gaffalione when fifth in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wonder Again where she bobbled around the five-sixteenths.

“She took a bad step on the turn and slipped badly. Tyler feared she was injured and didn’t persevere with her much, which I appreciated,” Brown said. “She’s training right along and she’s a filly I have high hopes for.”

Bred in Kentucky by Mt Brilliant Farm and Ranch, Sweet Rebecca, out of the Grade 2-placed Discreet Cat mare Sweet N Discreet, is a full-sister to multiple turf graded stakes-winner Sweet Melania.

Madaket Stables’ Goa [post AE12, Manny Franco, 120 pounds] will hope to make her U.S. debut after winning a pair of synthetic starts this winter in Chantilly for her former conditioner Nicolas Clement, including a nose score over Almara in the Prix de la Pistole last out on March 14. The third-place finisher of that event, Birthe, subsequently captured the Listed Prix Caravelle at Toulouse and the Group 2 Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp.

Goa, an Irish-bred daughter of No Nay Never out of the Galileo mare Music In My Heart, has trained steadily over the Oklahoma dirt training track, including a half-mile breeze Saturday in 50 seconds flat.

“She’s a nice filly – a touch high-strung in a very manageable way. Her works have been steady and consistent,” Brown said. “She appears to have a nice turn-of-foot. She’s settled into our program nicely and I’m excited to get her a run. Will she need one run to acclimatize? Possibly, against this group, but she certainly measures up on ability based on what I’ve seen in the morning.”

Resolute Racing will also be represented by graded stakes-winner Pounce [post 8, Dylan Davis, 124 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

The Lookin At Lucky bay sports a ledger of 6-3-0-1 led by a last-to-first score in the one-mile Grade 3 Herecomesthebride in March at Gulfstream Park. She followed with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 2 Appalachian in April at Keeneland and was a pacesetting third last out on May 31 in the Penn Oaks.

Pounce, initially campaigned by Quintessential Racing Florida and Hat Creek Racing, was purchased in February for $370,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Digital Selected Sale.

Trainer Jack Sisterson will hope to saddle a pair of Saratoga win contenders in Vive Veuve [post 4, Ramon Vazquez 122 pounds] and In Our Time [post AE13, Romero Maragh, 118 pounds].

Sterling Stables’ Vive Veuve, by Collected, notched a pair of turf wins at Gulfstream this winter, graduating at fifth asking in February traveling one-mile and following with a three-quarter length score in the 7 1/2-furlong Listed Sanibel Island in March. Those efforts were preceded by a strong third in a one mile and 70-yard maiden special weight in November on the Gulfstream synthetic.

Vive Veuve stretched out to nine furlongs under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano last out in the Grade 2 Wonder Again, rallying wide through the final turn to reach second position but could not sustain her bid and finished third one length back of the victorious Segesta.

“The nine furlongs in the Wonder Again was a bit too far for her – she ranged up like she was going to win the race and then flattened out a bit,” Sisterson said. “She’s done well from Day One – she hit the front in that Tapeta race and looked like she was going to win and got a bit tired, so she had a bunch of time and she trained like a filly who wanted to try Listed company.

“She’s always been a forward type of filly, so I think you can have her anywhere in the race and she kind of places herself,” he added.

The Sisterson-owned In Our Time, by Not This Time, was purchased for $325,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She graduated on debut in March in a six-furlong maiden claimer over the Gulfstream dirt and followed with a close second in a 7 1/2-furlong turf optional-claimer at the Hallandale Beach oval.

In Our Time seeks to return on short rest should she draw in following a sixth-place finish in Friday’s Listed Coronation Cup here at Saratoga where she was steadied near the furlong marker while trying to make her move from the top of the stretch.

“She didn’t get a good trip [in the Coronation Cup] – she broke fine and then she got stuck down on the rail. I think she definitely would have been third,” Sisterson said. “She came out of the race in good shape, is energetic and eating good, so it wasn’t a taxing race and she seems like she’s fine. I think she handled seven and a half [furlongs] fine at Gulfstream, and she went quick on the lead. With the way she switched off and relaxed in the Coronation Cup, a mile will be fine for us.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will send out Gala Brand [post 5, Jose Lezcano, 120 pounds], winner of last year’s Grade 3 With Anticipation against males here at Saratoga, as well as Magic Cross [post 10, Junior Alvarado, 120 pounds], who makes her first start since a frontrunning score in the off-the-turf P.G. Johnson on August 30, also at Saratoga.

The talented overflow Saratoga field also includes:

• Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas-trained turf debutante Lemon Muffin [post 9, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 124 pounds], winner of the Grade 3 Honeybee in February at Oaklawn Park
• Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher-trained Manama Gold [post 3, John Velazquez, 124 pounds], also a turf debutante, whose best result came with a win in the Group 3 UAE Oaks in February at Meydan Racecourse for Fawzi Nass
• Graded stakes-placed Gavea [post 1, Brian Hernandez, Jr., 118 pounds] for trainer Al Stall, Jr.
• Multiple stakes-winner De Regreso [post 7, Manny Franco, 122 pounds] for conditioner Antonio Sano
• Two-time winner Golden Degree [post AE11, Jose Lezcano, 118 pounds] for trainer Linda Rice