Clairiere, Nest square off in Shuvee; Played Hard spikes temperature

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Grade 1 winner Played Hard will miss Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Shuvee Stakes at Saratoga after spiking a temperature earlier in the week, trainer Phil Bauer said Thursday.

The Shuvee, run on the main track at 1 1/8 miles, went with just four horses including Nest, the 3-year-old filly champion of 2022 who makes her seasonal debut in this spot, and the multiple Grade 1 winner Clairiere, who won the Shuvee last year.

Also entered were Pistol Liz Ablazen and Skratch Kat, the latter taking the place of Played Hard for Bauer.

“We’re going to have to skip it, nature of the beast,” Bauer said. “She spiked a little temperature, we gotta back up and punt and see how quick she bounces back. She worked well up here and was going to be the pace. That was not a phone call I wanted to have to make to the owner.”

After winning the La Troienne at Churchill, Played Hard finished third behind Clairiere in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park on June 10.

:: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more.

Skratch Kat, who ran fourth behind Nest in last year’s Alabama here, is coming off a runner-up finish in an off-the-turf second-level allowance here on Sunday.

“We’re swinging for the fences, hope to get a little black type,” Bauer said.

Nest, who won the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama here last year, is making her first start since she finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff last November. Her return to the races was delayed due to a lung infection.

Clairiere won Shuvee last year before finishing fifth behind Malathaat in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign after acting up at the gate. Clairiere was beaten a head when third behind Malathaat and Blue Stripe in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

This year, Clairiere has won the Grade 1 Apple Blossom and Grade 1 Phipps.

The Shuvee will go as race 4 on a 10-race card that begins at 1:10 p.m.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.