In Italian aims for Diana repeat, at a much shorter price

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hard to fathom now, but In Italian, at 8-1, was the longest price of Chad Brown’s four runners when she led a 1-2-3-4 finish for the trainer in last year’s Diana Stakes at Saratoga.

In Italian set a course record of 1:45.06 for the 1 1/8 miles in a breakthrough performance that foreshadowed her next year, during which she won three more Grade 1 stakes and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. For the record, Bleecker Street was the 4-5 favorite in the 2022 Diana and finished third.

Saturday, In Italian figures somewhere in the 2-5 range when she heads another four-horse Brown contingent in the Grade 1, $500,000 Diana Stakes where another 1-2-3-4 finish for Brown is possible as there is only one other runner, Fev Rover, in the field.

Brown has won the Diana seven times, including six of the last seven runnings. In Italian, owned by Peter Brant, is attempting to join Sistercharlie – also owned by Brant – as a recent repeat Diana winner.

From start to finish, In Italian is just faster than her competition. She gets to the front, can set strong early fractions, and then still finishes fast. Her last five races have produced triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. The competition has a combined total of one.

In Italian’s Grade 1 victories this year in the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland and Just a Game at Belmont indicate to Brown that the mare is better than she was a year ago.

“Her strength, her speed, and the manner in which she carries it and comes home so fast in her races, it’s even better than last year,” Brown said. “I feel she’s in top form right now.”

If Brown has a concern it’s course condition. Strong thunderstorms were forecast Thursday afternoon and evening and some more were possible Friday. The short field has the Diana carded as race 4 of 11 on Saturday.

“I’m not sure if she’d be quite as effective with too much give in the ground,” Brown said. “I think she can handle some, so weather is something that [could] equalize things just a little bit for some of the competition.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. rides In Italian from post 2.

As In Italian was last year, Whitebeam figures to be the longest price of the four Brown runners on Saturday. In two starts this year, she was beaten by Evvie Jets in the Plenty of Grace at Aqueduct before coming back to win the Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico. Sopran Basilea and Bipartisanship, the second- and third-place finishers from the Gallorette, came back to win stakes in their next starts.

“She’s a filly that’s always trained super, she’s lightly raced with us, but she’s very sound and training exceptionally well,” Brown said. “I’d expect her to move forward in her form cycle and run a little faster than she did last time. She could definitely handle soft ground.”

Flavien Prat rides Whitebeam from post 5.

arketsegmentation has won three stakes in a row, capped by the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile New York, which she won in front-running fashion. Her shorter races indicate she would not pose a pace threat to In Italian.

“She’s been quite effective off the pace. She was on the pace last time out just as a matter there was no speed in the race,” Brown said.

Jose Ortiz rides Marketsegmentation from post 3.

Fluffy Socks is the only other member of this field to have attained a triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure, earning a 100 when second to stablemate Technical Analysis in last year’s Grade 2 Ballston Spa over good ground here. She is coming off a victory in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile on May 6 at Churchill Downs after which she incurred a minor setback, according to Brown.

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“She’s back in good form and she’s been training particularly well,” Brown said.

Joel Rosario rides Fluffy Socks from post 4.

Trainer Mark Casse sends out Fev Rover, who came off a near nine-month layoff to win the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes over yielding turf on July 1 at Woodbine. Casse believes his mare came out of the race well enough to wheel back on short rest.

Casse said Fev Rover, who will be ridden by Javier Castellano, will likely sit back and make one late run.

The Diana is one of three stakes on Saturday’s card. The others are the Grade 3, $175,000 Kelso (formerly the Forbidden Apple), a one-mile turf race that features a nice matchup between Grade 1 winners Casa Creed and Annapolis; and the Grade 3, $175,000 Sanford for 2-year-olds going six furlongs on dirt.

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