Elusive Princess an interesting Euro invader in Oaks
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Elusive Princess has shown an extremely strong turn of foot in her last three starts – two at the Group 1 level in France – she just doesn’t have a win to show for it.
Friday, Elusive Princess brings her closing kick and some high-class form to the U.S., where she figures to be one of the choices in the Grade 3, $400,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational, scheduled for 1 3/16 miles on the Mellon Turf course.
Elusive Princess, who has won three of seven starts, was one of four European-based runners in a field of 11 3-year-olds entered in the Oaks. However, Aspen Grove, who upset last month’s Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational at 15-1, is expected to scratch from the Saratoga Oaks to run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Saratoga Derby, her connections said Wednesday.
The France-based Elusive Princess, trained by Jean-Phillipe Dubois for a partnership headed by LNJ Foxwoods, comes out of a fifth-place finish in the Group 1 Prix de Diane – the French Oaks – a race in which she raced wide throughout, in particular about 10 wide in the stretch when rallying from the back of a 15-horse field. She was beaten 5 1/2 lengths by Blue Rose Cen, who was winning her fifth consecutive race.
“She ran very good. She came very fast but late,” said Milord Fabrico, assistant to Dubois.
Prior to that, Elusive Princess was beaten less than a length in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary and Group 3 Prix Cleopatre. The latter was run over a left-handed track. In that race, Elusive Princess was stymied along the rail in the last 300 meters and had to alter course to the six path. She passed all one but one of five horses in front of her in the last 200 meters.
“She should have won,” Fabrico said.
Elusive Princess has won over soft ground in France and there is an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms on Friday.
Flavien Prat rides Elusive Princess from post 2.
Trainer Joseph O’Brien sent four horses to Saratoga for this week including Caroline Street and American Sonja for the Oaks. Caroline Street comes in off a 10th-place finish in the Prix de Diane.
M.J. Doran, assistant to O’Brien, said the shorter distance of the Saratoga Oaks should suit Caroline Street better than the 1 5/16 miles of the Diane. The potential for ground with give in it shouldn’t be an issue.
“She went on soft ground in Ireland, but it wasn’t as testing as it was in France,” Doran said. “Maybe the ground stretched her over the trip a bit.”
American Sonja will be stretching out beyond one mile for the first time in the Saratoga Oaks. She comes out of a third to Zarinsk, a multiple group winner in Ireland, in a Group 3 stakes going seven furlongs at Leopardstown July 12.
“She’s a sharp filly. The track and trip and tightish bends should suit her,” Doran said.
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Tyler Gaffalione rides Caroline Street from post 2. Joel Rosario rides American Sonja from post 8
Papilio heads the U.S. contingent. Papilio stumbled at the start of the Belmont Oaks, got held up in the back of the pack, then had to rally wide in the lane and was only beaten one length by Aspen Grove.
“She showed me more in that race than any other race. I gained a new respect for her,” said her trainer, Mark Casse. “She breaks bad, we have no pace, and she runs by good horses like they’re standing still.”
Casse also runs Solo Album, a filly coming off a 6 1/4-length victory in the Group 3 Selene over Woodbine’s synthetic surface.
“Solo Album seems to be getting better. Her last race was tremendous,” Casse said. “I think the key to her is more ground, and she’s going to get more ground, but she’s a mysterious horse for me.”
Selenaia has taken a circuitous route to Saratoga. At 2, she won a maiden race at the Meadowlands. She began her 3-year-old campaign with an allowance win at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Then she shipped to Santa Anita and won the Grade 3 Honeymoon going 1 1/8 miles.
“Off her race at Santa Anita, it’s worth taking a shot,” trainer Jonathan Thomas said. “A little bit more ground definitely should be to her benefit. She has a couple of different styles.”
Honor D Lady, second in the Selene; Xigeria, winner of the Tepin Stakes at Ellis Park; and Strikingly Spun, eighth in the Belmont Oaks, complete the field.
The Saratoga Oaks goes as race 7 on an 11-race card that includes the Grade 2, $500,000 National Museuem of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes.
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