By Joe Bianca
It was going to be like something out of a Disney movie. Champion Lady Eli (Divine Park) fought off a life-threatening bout of laminitis and clawed her way back to the races after more than a year on the bench in last year's GII Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga. She swept to the lead in deep stretch and the crowd went wild, but the superstar filly just didn't have quite enough to hold off longshot Strike Charmer (Smart Strike) in the closing strides.
Storybook ending foiled, Lady Eli has nevertheless proven her greatness time and time again since that day, earning three more Grade I tallies and missing by a head and a nose in two other top-level tries. Now, fresh off of a game victory in the local GI Diana S., the bay filly will try to exact revenge as the odds-on favorite in Saturday's renewal of the Ballston Spa, her final start at Saratoga before her scheduled retirement this fall.
“She came out of her last work great and she's giving us a lot of the body language she gives us when she's ready to run,” trainer Chad Brown told the NYRA notes team. “On top of all that, it'll be great to run her at Saratoga one more time.”
Her stiffest competition will likely come from a pair of barnmates. Juddmonte Farms' 'TDN Rising Star' Antonoe (First Defence) was third in the Diana and could've fared better if not forced to steady in deep stretch. Prior to that, the dark bay scored one of the most impressive wins of the year when rallying from last into a slow pace to take the GI Longines Just A Game S. June 10 at Belmont.
A disappointing seventh in the Just A Game, Roca Rojo (Ire) (Strategic Prince {GB}) will try to pick up where she left off when triumphing in six of her previous eight starts, including scores in the GIII Distaff Turf Mile S. and GIII Athenia S. and a nose defeat in the GI Matriarch S.
“I think the time off since the Just a Game has benefitted Roca Rojo. She's freshened up a little bit. She's put in a good string of works and I'm really happy with her,” Brown said. “With Antonoe, I think the cutback in distance from the Diana will benefit her. She won going a mile in the Just a Game, so I think a mile and a sixteenth should be fine for her.”
Godolphin Racing's Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro) is not without a chance. One of only three horses to ever beat Lady Eli when running her down in the GI Jenny Wiley S. Apr. 15 at Keeneland, the homebred looks like the controlling speed and will attempt to bounce back after a fifth-place effort in the Diana.
“She came out of the last race in good shape,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “Obviously we were disappointed with her performance, but she just didn't have a really strong day. She had a bad day, but she only got beat four lengths. We just hope she rebounds, but she's doing great.”
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