Lady Eli gets a pacemaker for Ballston Spa

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The connections of Lady Eli have purchased the horse Sympathy from Highclere America and intend to use her as a pacemaker in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa Stakes.

Sol Kumin, whose Sheep Pond Partners owns part of Lady Eli, said he finalized a deal to buy Sympathy on Sunday.

Sympathy, who won a first-level allowance race at Belmont on June 16, does not show the type of speed that would make her a typical rabbit.

Chad Brown trains Lady Eli and trained Sympathy in her five previous U.S. starts. Brown said Lady Eli’s owners are running Sympathy to avoid a replay of the 2015 Wonder Again, in which Lady Eli had to overcome a pedestrian pace to just get up and win.

The Ballston Spa will be the undefeated Lady Eli’s first start in 13 months. Among those expected to take her on are Excilly, Miss Temple City, Sentiero Italia, Strike Charmer, and Sweet Acclaim.