A Little Bit Sassy tries again for first graded win in Lake George
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A Little Bit Sassy, disqualified from a graded stakes victory at Churchill Downs last month, will take another crack at winning a big race when she heads a competitive field of seven in Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Lake George Stakes at Saratoga.
A Little Bit Sassy will take on talented runners Daring Dancer, winner of the Grade 3 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland; Daring Kathy, unbeaten in three turf starts; and Sweet Acclaim and Little Journey, a pair of graded-stakes-placed runners from trainer Chad Brown’s barn.
A Little Bit Sassy, a daughter of More Than Ready, won the Edgewood Stakes at Churchill on May 2. In the Grade 3 Regret, run under the lights at Churchill on June 14, A Little Bit Sassy was a little bit headstrong early, but still appeared well on her way to victory when jockey Luis Saez hit her with a left-handed whip in deep stretch. A Little Bit Sassy came out, impeding Kiss Moon, the original fourth-place finisher who was placed third, and Aurelia’s Belle, the second-place finisher who was placed first. A Little Bit Sassy was disqualified for interference and placed fourth.
Michael Matz, the trainer of A Little Bit Sassy, couldn’t argue the decision.
“They had to put her fourth,” said Matz, who won Saturday’s Grade 1 Diana with Somali Lemonade.
A Little Bit Sassy has worked three times since the Regret, including a good-looking five-furlong move in 1:01.40 over the Oklahoma turf course here last week.
“She’s doing nicely, she worked nice,” Matz said.
A Little Bit Sassy will break from the outside post under Saez.
Daring Dancer had won her first three starts by a combined seven lengths before finishing fifth as the 4-5 favorite in the Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont Park on May 25.
Trainer Graham Motion believes it was just a case of Daring Dancer not handling soft turf.
“That’s the only thing I can think of; it’s the first bad race she’s run,” Motion said. “If our filly comes back to form, she should be competitive.”
Daring Dancer, the 123-pound highweight, will spot two to eight pounds to the field under Alan Garcia.
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A Little Bit Sassy (Last 3 Beyers: 86-86-84)
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 A Little Bit Sassy. Trainer Michael Matz is 6 for 23 with a $6.28 ROI over the past two years at Saratoga in turf routes with a purse of at least $60,000. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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◗ She has not crossed the wire worse than second in her last five starts, though she was disqualified to fourth in the Grade 3 Regret.
◗ Two horses that A Little Bit Sassy finished ahead of in the Regret came back to win graded stakes. Aurelia’s Belle won the Grade 3 Arlington Oaks, and Istanford won the Grade 2 San Clemente at Del Mar.
◗ When Somali Lemonade won Saturday’s Grade 1 Diana, it was the first graded stakes win on turf at Saratoga for Matz in 10 tries.
Daring Dancer (Last 3 Beyers: 69-91-80)
◗ Win over firm turf in Grade 3 Appalachian Stakes is the best performance by anyone in this field.
◗ In the month of July, Motion has won six stakes, including the Grade 1 United Nations.
Sweet Acclaim (Last 3 Beyers: 81-89-85)
◗ She was second to Daring Dancer in the Appalachian, then suffered narrow losses in a pair of listed stakes at Belmont.
◗ Brown said a wide trip cost her in the Wild Applause Stakes.
“She had a very wide trip and moved a little early and got caught,” Brown said. “I think it’s worth a try, and she seems to be doing very well. She’s actually doing better than she was going into that last race.”