Kentucky Belle hands Faithful Departed another tough loss in Saratoga Oaks
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Kentucky Belle was advancing from behind horses around the far turn and trainer Brad Cox thought that his 3-year-old filly was primed to get a graded stakes placing in Friday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Saratoga Oaks.
She did more than that.
Kentucky Belle, under Irad Ortiz Jr., unleashed a powerful kick in the final furlong and ran down race favorite Faithful Departed, ridden by Jose Ortiz, to win the Saratoga Oaks by a head. It was 1 1/4-lengths back to the rail-rallying Fitz Right in third.
It was Kentucky Belle’s first graded stakes win in her first attempt and her third win from her last four starts. She hadn’t started since April 18, when she narrowly won an allowance by a nose at Keeneland.
“Obviously, we missed a little time with her. It was worth the wait – ran big today,” trainer Brad Cox said. “Obviously, it looked like she was traveling really well going into the far turn. Turning for home, I was like, this should work out. We’re going to get some graded placing here and she was able to get there. Pretty much needed all of the mile and three-sixteenths.”
And she needed all of her kick as Faithful Departed, who had made the lead in upper stretch after a four-wide move, wasn’t slowing down.
“When we turned for home, hit the clear, she exploded. She gave me a good turn of foot. That was the difference, honestly,” Irad Ortiz Jr. said. “She ran them down because she was running. I don’t know how fast we closed, but it was fast."
Kentucky Belle ran the last three-sixteenths of a mile in about 26 seconds to complete 1 3/16 miles over firm turf in 1:53.80. Kentucky Belle, a daughter of Justify owned and bred by WinStar Farm, returned $23.20 to win.
For the second straight start, Faithful Departed suffered a tough defeat despite running a strong race. After getting beat 1 3/4 lengths by Kensington Lane in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, Faithful Departed looked like a winner in midstretch on Friday but just got run down.
“Just really proud of her effort,” trainer Grant Forster said. “I never thought she’d get caught from behind like that. Jose thought he made a winning move. He said it never felt like we slowed down at all. He said that other filly really came and got her. Just another great effort. What do you do? Somebody had to lose.”
Forster said Jose Ortiz told him that he saw Fitz Right rallying along the rail and guided his filly toward that filly before having to try and switch outside to have her see Kentucky Belle. Fitz Right finished third by 3 1/4 lengths over Bless Her. Imaginationthelady, Consensus View, Just Aloof, and Code completed the order of finish.
Most likely, Kentucky Belle and Faithful Departed will square off again in the Grade 3, $2 million Dueling Grounds Oaks at 1 5/16 miles at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 9.