Appleby sends out Creative Flair against Brown quartet in Diana
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It was trainer Charlie Appleby who ended Chad Brown’s stranglehold on the Grade 1 Diana Stakes last year when he sent out Althiqa and Summer Romance to a one-two finish in the $500,000 turf race for fillies and mares at Saratoga.
The result ended a five-year run of victories in the Diana for Brown, who last year finished fifth and seventh in the race.
In Saturday’s 84th renewal of the Diana, Appleby will send out Creative Flair against a quartet of Brown runners in the first of 17 Grade 1 flat stakes to be run at the 2022 Saratoga meet.
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The Diana, at 1 1/8 miles on turf, represents a return to the U.S. for Creative Flair, a 4-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Dubawi owned and bred by Godolphin Racing. Last year, Creative Flair finished third here in the Saratoga Oaks and fourth in the Jockey Club Oaks at Belmont Park in September.
In her only start this year, Creative Flair was a three-quarter-length winner of the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes at Meydan in February.
Chris Connett, an assistant to Appleby, said Creative Flair is “a more settled filly this year compared to last year and she’s kind of filled out as well and has matured nicely.”
A filly that likes to be forward early, Creative Flair did not get that position in the Saratoga Oaks when she broke slowly under Mike Smith.
“She didn’t get the greatest trips in both starts out here, although she did run good races,” Connett said. “From seeing her run in Dubai and the way she is out here, she’s ticking all the boxes and going the right way.”
Connett said that a year ago Creative Flair would have been designated a notch below the likes of Althiqa and Summer Romance, who ran one-two in both the Diana here and Just a Game at Belmont.
“On first look she probably doesn’t have the same profile as those two fillies, but the mark she ran to in the Balanchine would put her right where the other two fillies are,” Connett said. “So, we’re very hopeful she can emulate those.”
Jamie Spencer rides Creative Flair from post 2.
Overall, Brown has won six runnings of the Diana. Saturday, he sends out a quartet of runners led by Bleecker Street, 7 for 7 including the Grade 1 New York Stakes last month at Belmont, and Rougir, a Group 1 winner last fall who won the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 14 but was fifth as the 3-5 favorite in the New York on June 10. Those two as well as the Brown-trained In Italian are owned by Peter Brant. Brown’s fourth runner is Technical Analysis, owned by Klaravich Stables.
In regards to Rougir, Brown wasn’t sure if it was the quick turnround from the Beaugay or the firm turf at Belmont that worked against the 4-year-old French bred filly in the New York.
“Maybe the turf was too firm for her,” Brown said. “It’s a concern. She seems to prefer softer ground. There’s also the possibility I ran her back a little too soon for her. She might have had a little bit of a Euro bounce exiting [the Beaugay] and she seemed mentally a little unorganized. She’s sort of settled down and really trained focused and smooth again and started to put the pieces together.”
Flavien Prat rides Rougir from post 4.
Bleecker Street, a 4-year-old daughter of Quality Road, has won at four distances and over five turf courses. Despite a slow pace, she unleashed a strong closing kick to rally from last and win the New York, at 1 1/4 miles. Bleecker Street is 2 for 2 at 1 1/8 miles.
“She has such a good turn of foot, it doesn’t seem to matter for her,” Brown said. “I was more worried about the mile and a quarter for her going into the last one, so going a mile and eighth is just fine.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Bleecker Street from post 3.
In Italian looks like she could be the pacemaker in the Diana. She has yet to run beyond 1 1/16 miles.
Technical Analysis is also a forward runner, though she did rate when winning the Grade 3 Lake George here last summer. She also scored a front-running victory in the Grade 2 Lake Placid here last year. Technical Analysis won the Grade 3 Galorette at Pimlico on May 21.
“She clearly has an affinity not only for the track but the environment,” Brown said. “She’s in great form.”
Dalika, trained by Al Stall, is another who figures to be prominent early. A 6-year-old German-bred daughter of Pastorius, Dalika finished second behind Gam’s Mission in the Grade 3 Mint Julep at Churchill Downs on June 5, her lone start this year.
“She’s an extremely hearty, tough, sound horse who tries,” Stall said. “She’s a forward-running horse, one not to fight with in the race. When she’s on, she fights to the bitter end.”
The Diana goes as race 8 on an 11-race card that begins at 1:05 p.m. and includes the Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford Stakes for 2-year-olds.