Celestine won’t have it easy in Lake George

ELMONT, N.Y. – Celestine will bring a four-race winning streak into Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Lake George Stakes, but there’s a good chance she won’t even be favored in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies.

Welcome to Saratoga.

The Lake George, which drew a field of 12, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville, which drew eight 2-year-old fillies, are the co-features on the 10-race opening-day card. Entries were drawn Tuesday. Full fields abound, with six of the 10 races having oversubscribed. A total of 123 horses were carded for the opening-day program.

First post is 1 p.m. Eastern, and the opener is a second-level allowance for New York-breds at 1 1/8 miles that will begin in front of the grandstand.

The Lake George is one of four turf races scheduled for Friday. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s.

Celestine, trained by Bill Mott, drew the rail in the Lake George. Celestine, a daughter of Scat Daddy, will be trying 1 1/16 miles for the first time. She has won two sprints and two races at a mile, including a nose victory over Partisan Politics in the Wild Applause at Belmont on June 14.

“I’ve seen races change shape the last sixteenth,” Mott said. “She’s game. She’s a nice filly.”

Junior Alvarado will ride Celestine, replacing Rajiv Maragh, who is out for the year due to injury.

Feathered and Partisan Politics, despite outside draws, likely will vie for favoritism in the Lake George. In two starts on turf, Feathered has a win in the Grade 3 Edgewood at Churchill Downs and a second-place finish in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita. She drew post 10.

Partisan Politics, who won the P.G. Johnson as a maiden here last August, was making a hard late run at Celestine in the Wild Applause before running out of ground.

Partisan Politics drew post 12 and is one of three horses entered by trainer Chad Brown. Sivoliere (post 6) and Mrs McDougal (post 9) are the other two.

Other contenders in the Lake George include Cara Marie, the winner of the Indy Star Stakes at Indiana Grand; Mississippi Delta, a winner of three straight sprints; and Robillard. Trainer Graham Motion has the uncoupled entry of Jellicle Ball and My Year Is a Day. All in Fun and Lady Zuzu complete the field.

In the Schuylerville, at six furlongs, trainer Wesley Ward sends out the uncoupled entry of Moment Is Right, the winner of the Astoria Stakes at Belmont on June 4, and Banree, a troubled fifth in the Tremont against males at Belmont on June 5.

Positively Royal, a good-looking debut winner at Belmont for Todd Pletcher, and Off the Tracks, a sharp debut winner at Gulfstream for Roderick Rodriguez, head the competition.

Areolite, Decked Out, Little Miss Miss, and One Minute complete the field.