La Coronel looks to rebound in Lake Placid

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Two things are readily apparent when looking over the compact but highly competitive lineup for Saturday’s $300,000 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga. First, a case can be made for just about any of the six 3-year-old fillies entered in the Grade 2, 1 1/8-mile turf fixture. Second, it’s anybody’s guess which of those six fillies might take the initiative and set the pace in a field devoid of early speed.

La Coronel is one of those who could find herself forwardly placed as she makes her first start since finishing fifth in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes eight weeks ago at Royal Ascot. La Coronel will go postward the 122-pound highweight under the allowance conditions of the Lake Placid by virtue of her back-to-back Grade 3 victories earlier this year in the Appalachian at Keeneland and the Edgewood at Churchill Downs. Ridden by Florent Geroux, La Coronel was beaten only 5 1/4 lengths by two of the premier 3-year-old filly turf horses in the world, Winter and Roly Poly, in the one-mile Coronation.

“I knew it would be a tough race over there, but I never dreamed how tough it turned out considering Winter came back to win a Group 1 against older horses and Roly Poly has since won a couple of Group 1’s,” said trainer Mark Casse.

“They take the right-hand turn and she ended up with a pretty wide trip. Florent said she never really figured out she was supposed to run until about the last 50 yards.”

As for the lack of speed in the Lake Placid, Casse believes La Coronel should be close up from the outset if she doesn’t give away too much at the break.

“She’ll break a little slow sometimes, and it takes a little bit to get her in gear, but then she usually takes off, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see her do just that and be pretty close,” said Casse.

Trainer Chad Brown, meanwhile, said he doesn’t expect Uni to be as far back during the early stages of the Lake Placid as she was en route to a third-place finish making her U.S. debut in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on July 8.

“It was one of those first-time-in-the-country things,” Brown said of Uni’s trip in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Oaks. “She fell out of the gate, found herself far behind. It cost her some position, but she was able to save ground after that and ran well. I expect her to break well the second time and place herself.”

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Proctor’s Ledge rallied from mid-pack to a 1 3/4-length victory over Party Boat in the 1 1/16-mile Lake George here four weeks ago, and they will renew acquaintances going a sixteenth of a mile farther on Saturday. Proctor’s Ledge is looking to avenge two earlier setbacks this season behind La Coronel.

Coasted is winless in four starts at 3 following a second-place finish to close out her 2-year-old campaign in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Berned may have the best chance of controlling the pace and will make her turf debut in the Lake Placid. Berned and Party Boat are both trained by Graham Motion.

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KEY CONTENDERS

La Coronel by Colonel John
Last 3 Beyers: 88-88-83

◗ She was forwardly placed, third of 11 during the opening half-mile, en route to her easy 3 1/4-length decision in the one-mile Appalachian.

Uni by More Than Ready
Beyer: 85

◗ Owners Sol Kumin and Michael Dubb bought into Uni prior to her sixth-place finish in the Group 3 Prix Vaneaux this spring at Chantilly, with the Belmont Oaks the original goal for her.

– additional reporting by David Grening