And One More Time holds off Sunlit Uplands and stewards to take Ballston Spa
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - And One More Time had to survive an early pace duel, several challenges inside the final furlong and then an agonizing stewards inquiry before finally being declared the official winner of Saturday’s $300,000 Ballston Spa at Saratoga.
And One More Time outlasted the Irish-bred Sunlit Uplands to prevail by a neck in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa with Deep Satin a similar margin back in third. Segesta was knocked back at the break, recovered to loom boldly through midstretch, but could not sustain the bid and finished fifth as the 4-5 favorite.
And One More Time has slowly rounded back to peak form again after suffering what her trainer, Mark Casse, described as a “very serious injury” following her victory in the Grade 1 Natalma over a field that included her stablemate Nitrogen at Woodbine in her 2-year-old finale. She entered the Ballston Spa having wrapped two listed stakes victories around a solid effort in the Grade 1 Just a Game, in which she was beaten just three lengths by her stablemate Classic Q.
Javier Castellano was back in his regular seat aboard And One More Time in the Ballston Spa after having to give up the mount in the De La Rose Stakes while recuperating from an injury. And he did not hesitate putting And One More Time on the lead while pressed from the outset by Long Ago.
And One More Time shook free of her early pursuer on settling into the stretch, then dug in gamely in the face of challenges from Sunlit Uplands, Deep Satin and Segesta despite drifting out steadily through the final sixteenth.
Sunlit Uplands, making her U.S. debut, raced well placed while saving ground from the outset under jockey John Velazquez, who ironically had ridden And One More Time to her victory here last month in the De La Rose. Sunlit Uplands eased out a bit to continue her bid upon entering the stretch, continued on while carried out steadily by the winner through much of the final furlong, but was not quite good enough.
Deep Satin dropped back to last briefly at the top of the stretch, angled sharply to the inside while rallying through midstretch, finished strongly inside the top two and fell just short with her bid.
Segesta recovered from her unlucky start to race within easy striking distance of the early leaders, fanned five wide turning for home, loomed boldly through the furlong grounds before tiring late from the effort.
And One More Time is trained by Casse for Live Oak Plantation. She completed a 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.80 seconds and paid $14.62 to win.
“She is really on her game right now, I’ve never seen her so good,” a relieved Casse said moments after the stewards had dismissed a claim of foul by Velazquez against the winner and allowed the original result to stand. “They had shots to get by her and they couldn’t. She deserved to be the winner.”
Casse readily agreed with the suggestion that And One More Time, now 4, is obviously getting better with age.
“She beat Nitrogen as a 2-year-old (in the Natalma), and most horses wouldn’t have come back from the injury she had,” Casse noted. “It’s not easy to compete at the highest level, but she’s really caught on and is doing well. This means a lot to Mrs. Weber (Live Oak Plantation owner Charlotte Weber) and if it means a lot to her it also means a lot to me. She’s been a part of my family for 50 years and I’m glad they didn’t take this win away from her today.”
Velazquez said he had no recourse but to lodge an objection against the winner.
“He (Castellano) and the five (One More Time) came close enough to intimidate my horse,” Velazquez explained. “I had to put in a claim and hope it would go my way. But it didn’t.”
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