Close Hatches dominates Personal Ensign

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In a word, brilliant.

Close Hatches, showing a terrific early turn of foot to make the lead entering the first turn, sloshed her way through the muddy mess that was Saratoga’s main track Friday, and rolled to a front-running, five-length victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga.

In the process, Close Hatches kept her perfect record in 2014 intact at 4 for 4, maintained her stranglehold on the older filly and mare division, and earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff to be run on Oct. 31 at Santa Anita.

At other end of the spectrum, the connections of Princess of Sylmar are left with some decisions to make after their filly finished fifth, 13 1/4 lengths back. It was her third consecutive loss.

Close Hatches, a 4-year-old daughter of First Defence owned by Juddmonte Farms, is now 9 for 12 with five Grade 1 wins for her career, three this year, including the Apple Blossom and Ogden Phipps.

Though Close Hatches won the Grade 1 Mother Goose last year by 7 1/4 lengths, this was arguably her most dominating performance. She defeated six graded stakes winners, including Grade 1 winners Princess of Sylmar and Belle Gallantey.

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“I thought today would be a tougher race,” said Garrett O’Rourke, the racing manager for Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms’s U.S. operation. “I knew the other fillies, Antipathy and Belle of Gallantey were on top of their game. Maybe [Princess of Sylmar] didn’t run her ‘A’ game today but beyond that when a filly is really on top of her game sometimes she can take out of her normal style and today [Close Hatches] just absolutely took the game to them.”

Joel Rosario, who rode Close Hatches, anticipated that Antipathy, breaking from the rail, would be on the lead. But when jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took a hold of Antipathy going into the first turn, Rosario let Close Hatches take him to the lead.

Close Hatches opened up and maintained at least a two-length advantage through a quarter in 23.05 seconds, a half-mile in 46.61, and six furlongs in 1:11.12. Left unchallenged, Close Hatches widened her lead to 6 1/2 lengths under a vigorous hand ride from Rosario, who then eased up on her late.

Close Hatches covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.62 in the mud and returned $5.90 as the 9-5 favorite.

“In the first turn I knew [Antipathy] was in front for a little bit, but it looked like Irad took a little hold and I just took that position,” Rosario said. “She’s a nice filly, long stride. I’m not surprised she’d go that fast.”

Mott said he was content to see Rosario take the lead entering the clubhouse turn.

“I felt he did it comfortably. He didn’t even nudge her going into the first turn,” Mott said.

Meanwhile, trainer Todd Pletcher had put blinkers on Princess of Sylmar, hoping for an improved performance from her second-place finish in the Delaware Handicap last month. Princess of Sylmar chased Close Hatches until the three-eighths pole before fading.

“By the time they turned up the backside she was in a good position,” Pletcher said. “She was taking him there the right way. It wasn’t like he was having to ask her to try to keep up with Close Hatches. I don’t know. Back to the drawing board.”

Ed Stanco, the owner of Princess of Sylmar, said he would consider stopping on Princess of Sylmar if Pletcher felt that was the prudent thing to do.

In a classy move, Stanco stood outside the winner’s circle waiting for Mott to finish post-race interviews to congratulate him for winning the race. Stanco went so far as to say that Close Hatches deserves consideration for Horse of the Year.

Close Hatches will take her talents to Lexington, Ky., for the Grade 1 Spinster on Oct. 5 at Keeneland and then to Southern California for the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita.

O’Rourke didn’t rule out Close Hatches running next year at 5, but said that would be a decision made by Prince Khalid Abdullah, the head of Juddmonte.

“If we could have this much fun with her next year, you can see from history Prince Khalid loves to see his horses race,” O’Rourke said. “He wouldn’t be against doing something like that.”