By Alan Carasso
Chad Brown has won the GI Diana Stakes seven times in its last eight runnings and, well, the odds say that right about 5:45 p.m. Saturday, that will be eight out of the last nine. That's because the Mechanicville native will send out half of the 10 runners for the first elite-level contest of the Saratoga meeting. Strength, indeed, in numbers, but a quintet also not short on quality.
Chili Flag (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}) is perhaps the antithetical European import for the barn in the sense that she required three starts to get her first win stateside and a 'whopping' half-dozen before earning her first black-type success in a race named in honor of two-time Diana winner Forever Together last November at Aqueduct. That start, coincidentally, was her first in this country without Lasix, and she seems to thrive without the medication, having won three of four since, including a late-running tally in the GI Just A Game Stakes going a mile on the Belmont Stakes undercard June 7.
Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio) looks to join a list of dual Diana winners that includes the likes of Tempted and Shuvee and more recently the Brown-conditioned Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}). She is, however, winless in four starts since upsetting this test at nearly 8-1 last summer and has completed the exacta in each of her two starts this term, including the Just A Game where she was outfinished by her stablemate.
Didia (Arg) (Orpen) enters the Diana in sharp form, arguably the best of her career, after returning an overlaid $20 and some change to her backers in the GI New York Stakes over a mile and three-sixteenths June 7, where she had Neecie Marie (Cross Traffic) 1 1/2 lengths behind in second. There is some chance Saturday's nine-furlong trip is on the short side, but she did take out the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf over a mile and a sixteenth on seasonal debut Jan. 27.
Moira (Ghostzapper), who thrashed the boys in the 2022 Queen's Plate, returns to the races for the first time since running home to be third behind the world-class Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita.
“I think this is a bigger, stronger version of her right now,” said trainer Kevin Attard. “Physically, this is the best she's looked. She's matured from four to five and she's worked very well heading into this race.”
Mentee Figures Plenty Tough In Sanford
Repole Stables' Mentee (City of Light), a full-brother to champion 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness, has drawn the rail in a field of eight for Saturday's co-featured GIII Sanford Stakes.
The bay colt was part of an entry favored at 55 cents on the dollar on Aqueduct debut June 15, and he broke running and set a fast pace beneath John Velazquez. He looked to have the race all parceled up when five in front a furlong from home, but the well-meant Colloquial (Vekoma) took ground off him with every stride and only the wire saved Mentee.
So what was up with that, trainer Todd Pletcher?
“I think he got a little bit idle on his own but was able to get the job done in a very fast time,” the conditioner said. “I think the horse that was second is a high-quality horse as well, so I was pleased with his debut and very happy with the way he's trained since then.”
Studlydoright (Nyquist) is the lone Sanford entrant with two wins to his credit, having won his maiden nicely at first asking in the Laurel slop May 5 before upsetting the June 6 Tremont Stakes by the better part of two lengths at odds of 13-1.
“He's doing very well and I'm looking forward to running him again,” said trainer John Robb. “He's just a nice horse. I was tickled to death with the way he ran and the way he finished. I'm looking forward to going a little bit farther with him. I think the more distance, the better.”
Three Echoes (Echo Town) was highly impressive in graduating at first asking at Churchill May 24, taking a tight gap at the fence before going on with it. The chestnut, campaigned by the connections of the first-crop sire (by Speightstown), attended the Tremont pace before settling for a clear third.
The first of the afternoon's graded races is the GIII Kelso Stakes, in which 'TDN Rising Star' Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) will look to bounce back from a subpar fifth in the GIII Poker Stakes June 8. Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was second and Talk of the Nation (Quality Road) third in the same heat behind all-the-way winner Ice Chocolat (Brz) (Goldikovic {Ire}).
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