All in Fun could represent good value play in Riskaverse
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Partisan Politics and All in Fun were separated by a head when fourth and fifth in the Grade 2 Lake George Stakes here on opening day. The price difference between the two on Thursday figures to be a significantly greater than that margin, which may make All in Fun a value play in the $100,000 Riskaverse Stakes at Saratoga.
The Riskaverse, a one-mile turf race restricted to 3-year-old fillies, drew an evenly matched field of nine, including Grade 3 winner Rainha Da Bateria and Aljalela, who is 2 for 2.
All in Fun, trained by Shug McGaughey for Stuart Janney, was 12-1 in the Lake George. She had to steady going into the first turn, then was blocked behind horses until able to get through at the three-sixteenths pole. Though she had running room and time, she fell a length short.
“She didn’t have the cleanest of trips,” McGaughey said. “Didn’t get beat that far, thought it was a solid race. Came out of it good. She’s training good.”
Rainha Da Bateria won her debut sprinting here last summer, and after finishing fourth behind Partisan Politics in the P.G. Johnson here last August, won the Grade 3 Jessamine at Keeneland.
Rainha Da Bateria is making her first start since running sixth Feb. 28 on dirt in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel at Santa Anita.
“We felt we had to try it once,” trainer Graham Motion said of running Rainha Da Bateria on dirt. “The filly’s been rather unlucky not to win a couple of her turf races. Since the Breeders’ Cup, I felt like she’s had a few unlucky trips.”
KEY CONTENDERS
All in Fun (Last 3 Beyers: 89-84-73)
◗ McGaughey said he would like to see Joel Rosario get All in Fun covered up a little bit early on in the race. Since they are breaking from the rail, that should be easily accomplished.
“She needs to be behind horses,” McG aughey said. “She’s a Tapit; she can be a bit headstrong.”
Partisan Politics (Last 3 Beyers: 89-85-81)
◗ The Chad Brown trainee may have been compromised by breaking from the outside post in the nine-horse field in the Lake George. In her last start at a mile, she was beaten a nose by Celestine in the Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont.
◗ She won the P.G. Johnson Stakes here as a maiden last Aug. 27.
Rainha Da Bateria (Last 3 Beyers: 78-73-68)
◗ She was given time off by her connections following a sixth-place finish in the Santa Ysabel on dirt.
“We felt like she had been going since last Saratoga, so we decided to give her a break and we sent her home to Kentucky for a month,” Motion said.
Aljalela (Beyers: 82-64)
◗ After winning her debut at Delaware last September, she developed some minor ailments that prompted her to get some time off.
“She could have run here first out, but we wanted to get off to a good start with the ownership group, so we took the easy route,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.
◗ She came back with a solid allowance win as the 5-2 favorite at Belmont on July 17.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 My Cara Mia. Trainer Mitch Friedman is 23-0-1-3 over the past five years going sprint to route on turf. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Lola Beaux. Trainer Edward Graham is 15-8-1-0 with a $5.65 ROI over the past two years in turf routes with Eriluis Vaz aboard. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan