From the Spa: August 28 Midlantic-breds in Saratoga stakes

I Spent It wins the 2014 Saratoga Special. Photo by NYRA/Adam Coglianese.

by Joseph Aiello 

“From the Spa” returns to keep you up-to-date on horses bred in the mid-Atlantic racing in Saratoga stakes   

After a two month long layoff, Sweet Melania returns to the Grade III Lake George Stakes in the ninth race of Saratoga’s Friday card as the 8/5 morning line favorite. Coming off a wire to wire effort in the Grade III Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont, Sweet Melania will look to give her trainer Todd Pletcher a second front-running stakes win this week, after recently winning the Fourstardave with Halladay who took them all the way around. While all others will be chasing Sweet Melania from the gate, trainer Chad Brown will similarly be chasing Pletcher for the 2020 Saratoga training title. With his Klaravich-owned entry Selflessy, Brown looks to find a way to upset Pletcher and Sweet Melania, hoping to regain his position atop the leaderboard for Saratoga trainers this meet.

Selflessly is a dark brown three year old filly bred in Maryland by George Louis Doetsch Jr. By More Than Ready – Uniformly Yours, by Grand Slam, Selflessly will get a new jockey for the first time in her career after having Javier Castellano in the irons for all four career starts. This time, leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. will take over, in an attempt to maintain his jockey title over brother Jose Ortiz, while also giving Chad Brown a bump in his standings. After Introduced won the Smart N Fancy Stakes yesterday on an off track, this duo will not have the pressure of picking up the Midlantic’s first stakes win at Saratoga this meet, but both will still have many challenges in this field especially if the turf remains off for a second consecutive day. With plenty of potential variables here, Selflessly will have to run one of her best efforts to pick up her second career victory and graded stakes win at morning line odds of 6/1.