Dayatthespa Preview: Classic Lady Hoping to Turn the Tables

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – After narrowly missing winning her stakes debut last time out, the Christophe Clement-trained Classic Lady is back hoping to turn the tables in Wednesday’s $85,000 Dayatthespa Stakes at Saratoga.

The Dayatthespa is a 1 1/16-mile inner turf route restricted to New York-bred fillies and mares 3 and up. This year’s edition is the fifth event on a 10-race card and has a local post time of 3:02 PM Eastern.

Here is a look at the full field for the Dayatthespa:

1. War Canoe 8/5 – Trainer Chad Brown rarely claims horses, but this Lemon Drop Kid mare transferred into his stable for $62.5k after defeating open company optional claimers at Aqueduct last November. She went unraced until the Mount Vernon Stakes on July 2, where she finished third behind her multiple stakes-winning stablemate Fifty Five.

2. Wegetsdamunnys 7/2 – She won her 2020 debut against open company optional claimers on June 12 while going 1 1/8 miles, but she faltered last time out in the 1 1/2-mile River Memories Stakes. She has yet to win at this distance (4-0-1-1 record) or against state-bred stakes rivals (8-0-2-1), but Clement should have her fit on the cut-back.

3. Love and Love 2/1 – The field’s lone Main Track Only entry has won her last 2 starts and was a nose away from a third, all while running 1 mile over the fast Aqueduct dirt. Should this race stay on turf, she will instead race on Friday, where she is cross-entered to face state-bred optional claimers over this same course and distance.

4. Classic Lady 7/5 – She nearly won her 2020 debut, missing the wire by a nose in the Mount Vernon Stakes. She has every reason to improve in her second start of the year and for trainer Christophe Clement, who has been red-hot to start the Saratoga meet (26-10-4-5 record) and with jockey Joel Rosario (34% winners together at Saratoga since 2019).

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5. Wish Upon 10/1 – She makes her first start back since finishing a well-beaten eighth against open company optional claimers at Tampa Bay Downs on April 29. The El Corredor mare’s most recent New York-bred stakes attempt saw her finish second behind Fifty Five (and ahead of War Canoe) in last October’s Ticonderoga Stakes at Belmont Park.

6. Niko’s Dream 15/1 – She came flying late to neck out victory over open company optional claimers while covering this distance over the Gulfstream Park lawn in May. She shares the same trainer and ownership as top Kentucky Derby (G1) contender Tiz the Law and finished second in both attempts at the state-bred stakes level last year.

7. Vortex Road 8/1 – She nearly went gate to wire last time out while covering 1 1/8 miles against open company optional claimers, missing to Wegetsdamunnys by a nose. She cuts back slightly in distance and seems to be the field’s only early pace on paper, so she could be a real threat at a square price.