Golden Award's interest will be key in Summer Colony
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – When she feels like running, Golden Award is pretty good. Problem is, there are times when she doesn’t feel like running, so she doesn’t.
In her last five starts, Golden Award has won two Grade 3 stakes and finished second in a third. She also has been pulled up in two Grade 1 stakes, including, most recently, the Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park in June.
Wednesday, Golden Award returns to the races in the $85,000 Summer Colony Stakes at Saratoga looking for the form she displayed last year here when she beat Wow Cat and She’s a Julie in the Grade 3 Shuvee.
Her trainer, Bill Mott, has little explanation for what happened in the Phipps when Junior Alvarado pulled her up.
“We thought she had the ability to run well,” Mott said. “She just stopped, he said.”
Golden Award didn’t miss much training time as she has worked three times since the Phipps, including a sharp five furlongs in 1:00.40 over the Oklahoma training track July 26.
Last year, Golden Award did bounce back from being pulled up in the Personal Ensign to win the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm at Aqueduct.
In the Turnback the Alarm, Bellera was squeezed at the break and unseated her jockey, John Velazquez. Bellera, one of three fillies entered in the Summer Colony by trainer Todd Pletcher, bounced back from that episode to win the Grade 3 Comely and the Ladies Handicap, both 1 1/8-mile races at Aqueduct.
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This year, Bellera, who is 3 for 5 at 1 1/8 miles on dirt, ran seven furlongs on dirt, 1 1/16 miles on turf against restricted company, and most recently was third to Dunbar Road in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on dirt.
“She’s a victim of the COVID schedule or lack thereof,” Pletcher said. “She’s a Florida-bred, so we tried her on grass just to see while we were trying to bide some time for races like this.”
Speaking of the Delaware Handicap performance, Pletcher said, “I thought it was a good effort. Hopefully, she improves a touch off that. She seemed to like it here last year, it seemed like a logical spot for her.”
Bellera won a 1 1/8-mile allowance race in the slop here last year. She is 2 for 2 over a wet track, conditions that could be in play Wednesday.
Pletcher also entered Always Shopping, who at 3 won the Grade 2 Gazelle and Busanda, both 1 1/8-mile stakes at Aqueduct. She is 0 for 3 this year.
Bossy Bride scratched from Saturday’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign for this spot. She won an off-the-turf starter allowance going 1 1/16 miles around one turn July 10 at Belmont. She is 2 for 3 over a wet track.
With the short field, the Summer Colony has been carded as the fourth race on a 10-race program that begins at 12:50 p.m. with a steeplechase race.