SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Opportunity came knocking twice for jockey Jose Ortiz when it came to Saturday’s $200,000 Lake Placid Stakes, and the veteran rider made the most of it both times. Ortiz picked up the mount on Haughty after Joel Rosario, who had the original call, took the day off Saturday due to illness. He also took advantage of the fact that 6-5 favorite With The Moonlight stumbled and came away slow at the start, sending Haughty right to the lead, a strategy that ultimately led to her three-quarter-length victory over the game but unlucky favorite in the Grade 2 fixture for 3-year-old fillies. Haughty was one of four horses trainer Chad Brown saddled in the 1 1/16-mile Lake Placid, which scratched down to just six runners due to the defections of outsiders Canisy and Koala Princess. The Lake Placid was just the third start this season for Haughty, who won the Penn Oaks at Penn National in her 2022 debut before finishing a tiring ninth trying 1 1/4 miles for the first time in the Belmont Oaks Invitational. The start of the Lake Placid was an eventful one for the three inside horses, including With The Moonlight, the projected pacesetter by many, who bobbled briefly and was subsequently reserved near the rear of the field by jockey Luis Saez. Haughty, meanwhile, broke well from her outside post and wasted little time sprinting to a clear lead under Ortiz, opening a comfortable advantage before completing the opening furlong. :: DRF's Saratoga headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more Haughty relaxed nicely under Ortiz while posting relatively easy splits of 24.52 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.80 for a half over the firm course. Haughty responded to right-hand pressure from Ortiz turning for home to turn back a mild try from stablemate Consumer Spending, then had plenty left to withstand With The Moonlight in the final sixteenth. The latter raced near the rear of the compact lineup for six furlongs, commenced her rally while angling five wide approaching the stretch, surged to closer contention while lugging in briefly near midstretch, but could not sustain the momentum to the end. She was easily second-best, finishing 1 1/4 lengths in front of Dolce Zel. Consumer Spending, Eminent Victor, and Sail By rounded out the complete order of finish. The final time was 1:41.16. Haughty, who is owned in partnership by Bradley Thoroughbreds, Beomar Racing and Breeding, Cambron Equine, and Team Handley, paid $13.40. She earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. “Joel Rosario was sick today and couldn’t ride the horse. It’s your worst nightmare when one of your main jockeys is not available to ride,” Brown said. “We were fortunate Jose was there and we could get a rider we had a working relationship with. And he did a fabulous job.” Brown admitted he was a bit surprised to see Haughty loose on the lead. :: Visit the Saratoga Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. “I thought With The Moonlight would be to the lead,” Brown said. “Our plan was to sit right next to her. But when she didn’t break and go, Jose took the initiative. [Haughty] was a bit unlucky in the Breeders’ Cup [Juvenile Fillies Turf, finishing third, beaten less than a length] on short rest and with a wide trip. We have been waiting for the right race to get her back on form. We had her at a distance that she’s comfortable with today, and she delivered.” Ortiz said he made an early decision to put Haughty on the lead. “The two horse [Sail By] didn’t take the lead as I expected, so I took it and she ran a huge race,” Ortiz said. “She came out running and hit another gear at the eighth pole.” Chris Connett, assistant to trainer Charlie Appleby, said the unfortunate start compromised With The Moonlight’s chances right from the outset. “Ideally, we wanted to be on the pace if not leading,” Connett said. “Unfortunately, she was a step slow from the gate and when you draw the one hole and get away slightly slowly, it makes it difficult to be on the pace. She still ran a very big race. She closed from way off the pace on slow, easy fractions for the horse in front.” Smart N Fancy Caravel, who had her best chances compromised by a slow start from the inside post when finishing a disappointing ninth and last in the  Grade 3 Caress four weeks earlier, made amends when rallying from just off the lead to a half-length decision over Change of Control in the $150,000 Smart N Fancy Stakes for older fillies and mares on turf. Illegal Smile finished third, followed by the tepid 2-1 favorite Miss J McKay. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. The win was the third in five starts this season for Caravel, a daughter of Mizzen Mast trained by Brad Cox. The victory also was the third of the day for Saez, who rode Caravel for the first time in the 5 1/2-furlong Smart N Fancy. Caravel completed the distance in 1:01.92 and returned $9.80. “The trip was brutal [in the Caress], she broke a step slow and was squeezed into the turn,” Cox said. “We didn’t really have it [the Smart N Fancy] on our radar after the last race, but she was doing fine and there was no reason not to run her.”