War Like Goddess Easy Winner Of Glens Falls

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – George Krikorian’s War Like Goddess kicked into high gear at the 3/16 pole and swept past her rivals in the stretch to prove an easy winner of Saturday’s $250,000 Glens Falls Stakes (G2) at Saratoga.

The odds-on 4/5 favorite in the field of seven older fillies and mares, War Like Goddess broke from post 3 under Julien Leparoux and settled at the rear for the early running.

A hard-pulling Dalika went to the lead and posted fractions of :24.80, :49.05, 1:13.82, and 1:38.84 for the opening mile while under a tight hold from Miguel Mena.

Leparoux tipped War Like Goddess out wide as they rounded the far turn for the second time and the Bill Mott trainee responded immediately when given the green light.

Easily kicking away from My Sister Nat and company, War Like Goddess crossed 3 1/4 lengths best while completing the 1 1/2-mile firm turf route in 2:27.55.

“She gave some kick in the end,” Leparoux said. “I think today she broke good. We got bumped, so we were last because of the little bump in the beginning. But she still had the kick, so that was nice to see. I think she’s going improve for it.  “She’s very nice,” he continued. “I think she can endure any kind of ground and even when she was pulling a bit on me early on, she’s fresh. She had a very nice kick, so I’m very excited to be able to ride her.

My Sister Nat took second by a neck over Temple City Terror, at 17/1 the longest shot on the board.

Luck Money, Dalika, Orglandes, and Call Me Love completed the order of finish.

War Like Goddess’ win was her third straight following March’s 1 3/8-mile Orchid (G3) at Gulfstream Park and April’s 1 1/2-mile Bewitch (G3) at Keeneland. The 4-year-old English Channel filly, purchased for $30,000 as a juvenile, improved her record to 6-5-0-0 with $383,684 earned in a career that only commenced last September.

“She ran well,” Mott said. “We freshened her up a little bit and brought her back today. She moved forward for us and beat a nice bunch of fillies today. Our filly was pulling a little bit and they were going slow up front, so you always hope they can close into that slow kind of pace. She was good enough. I saw a good finish similar to what we saw in the Bewitch.”

War Like Goddess returned $3.70 to win, $2.70 to place, and $2.30 to show. My Sister Nat brought back $3.60 to place and $2.60 to show. Temple City Terror paid $4 to show.