SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - She’s never been favored, but more importantly, Brightwork has never been beaten. On Sunday, Brightwork improved her record to 4 for 4 by turning back a challenge from an overly aggressive Ways and Means to win the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway Stakes for 2-year-old fillies by a half-length at Saratoga. Ways and Means, sent off the 2-5 favorite off a devastating debut victory here four weeks, clipped the heels of Brightwork and bobbled less than a furlong into the race. Still, she was in contention turning for home, but could not catch Brightwork. Ways and Means finished 6 1/4 lengths clear of Wonder Ride. Alys Beach finished fourth and was followed by Closing Act, Sugar Hi, Lady Moscato and Lemorian. Miz Sense never left the starting gate, rearing up, unseating her rider, Manny Franco, then sitting down in the gate. She was declared a non-starter by the stewards. Becky’s Joker, the Grade 3 Schuylerville winner on opening day, scratched due to an illness, according to her trainer Gary Contessa. :: Visit the Saratoga Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies, and more. Brightwork, in winning her third consecutive stakes race, gave trainer Johnny Ortiz his first Grade 1 victory. Earlier this meet, Brightwork won the Grade 3 Adirondack here and before that the Debutante at Ellis Park. “Tears, happiness, joy, I’m ecstatic,” an emotional Ortiz said in the winner’s circle. “All the emotions I can think of right now. … This is such a big deal.” Despite her three victories - including a five-length victory in the Adirondack - Brightwork was sent off the second choice at 3-1 in the race while Ways and Means was 2-5. “I don’t worry about numbers,” Ortiz said. “They’re just numbers to me.” Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode Brightwork for the second time, figured Lemorian, an invader from Indiana posted to his outside, would try to outbreak him. Ortiz was right, as Lemorian broke on top and wound up outside of Sugar Hi, who was urged to the front. Ortiz kept Brightwork outside of that pair, chasing the pace of 22.40 seconds for the quarter and 45.09 for the half-mile. At the five-sixteenths pole, Brightwork had taken the lead, and Ways and Means, under Flavien Prat, was gaining to her outside. Ways and Means was within a head at the eighth pole, but under several cracks of Irad Ortiz Jr.’s left-handed whip, Brightwork turned Ways and Means aside. “It was an honest pace, we weren’t walking, but I know my filly handled the distance and she had three races already, [Ways and Means] had one, let’s try to get an advantage with that and it worked out good,” Ortiz said. Ortiz said he tried to open up his narrow advantage at the head of the lane, but Brightwork “put her ears up turning for home I said ‘I know there’s something there so I hit her a couple of times, she responded,’ " Ortiz said. “She was giving me everything.” The win was one of four on the day for Ortiz, who long ago clinched his fifth Saratoga riding title. His 62 wins are a personal best at Saratoga and include nine graded stakes wins, four Grade 1s. Brightwork, a daughter of Outwork owned by Bill Simon’s WSS Racing, covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.17 and returned $8. Brightwork earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 84. “The filly’s got the talent, she’s making me look good,” Ortiz said. Ways and Means also has talent. Sunday, she was giving Flavien Prat a difficult time. “She was getting out bad, as soon as [Brightwork] went in front of me she just ducked out and I clipped heels,” Prat said. “She was trying to get away from the inside.” Prat said that even after clipping heels, Ways and Means was “looking at horses inside of her. Turning for home, she made a good run and just got beat.” Brightwork will be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita on Nov. 3. John Ortiz said he is not sure if he would train up to that race or run Brightwork in either the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland on Oct. 6 or the Grade 2 Chandelier at Santa Anita on Oct. 7. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.