Dream Tree ends layoff with Prioress Stakes triumph

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It was like she never left.

Away from the races for nearly seven months, Dream Tree picked up where she left off, dominating a field of 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga in Sunday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Prioress Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths.

Mia Mischief, with whom Dream Tree dueled for more than a half-mile, held second by a head over Moonshine Memories, who was sandwiched from both sides at the break.

Sower finished fourth and was followed by Cathedral Reader, Purrfect Miss, Classy Act, and Win the War. Dream Pauline, who was diagnosed with a temperature Saturday night, and Bronx Beauty both scratched.

The victory was her fifth in as many career starts for Dream Tree, a daughter of Uncle Mo owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III and trained by Bob Baffert. Dream Tree hadn’t run since winning the Grade 2 Las Virgenes at Santa Anita on Feb. 4.

Baffert wasn’t happy with how the filly was training after that race, so he gave her some time off and freshened her up for a late summer-fall campaign.

Under Mike Smith, Dream Tree came in and bumped with Moonshine Memories to her inside and was turned sideways. She quickly recovered and dueled outside of Mia Mischief - who was favored by $5,681 over Dream Tree - through a quarter in 22.30 seconds and a half-mile in 44.93.

“She was just there easy,” Smith said.

Dream Tree continued to battle with Mia Mischief until inside the eighth pole, where she began to pull away. Smith gave Dream Tree a few taps with his left-handed whip, owing to the fact she has a history of looking around. Dream Tree did in fact lunge at some footprints past the finish line.

“This long lane, you never know somebody comes flying on the outside - I’ve had it happen so many times around here - so I just stayed busy and she was looking at something, sure enough there was those tracks because you see her jump right after the wire,” Smith said.
Dream Tree covered the six furlongs in 1:09.50 and returned $5.80 to win.

It was the third graded stakes victory at Saratoga in eight days for the Baffert-Smith team, who on Aug. 25 won the Grade 1 Personal Ensign with Abel Tasman and the Grade 1 Ballerina with Marley’s Freedom.

The combo’s only loss came in Saturday’s Grade 1 Spinaway, in which Chasing Yesterday finished seventh.

Like Marley’s Freedom, Dream Tree will be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3, Baffert said.

“We’re excited we got her back,” Baffert said by phone from California, adding that Aamer Abdulaziz, the head of Phoenix Thoroughbred III, “has been really patient letting us freshen her up. I wanted to get her ready for the Breeders’ Cup.”

Baffert said he wasn’t sure whether he would try to get another race into Dream Tree or not before the Filly and Mare Sprint.