Lure Stakes may end up a battle of Brown stablemates

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Projected found trouble in a five-horse field when beaten a neck as the even-money favorite in the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker Stakes in June at Belmont Park. While Saturday’s $100,000 Lure Stakes may lack graded status, it appears to be a much tougher race than the Poker.

Projected will face the Chad Brown-trained stablemates Takeover Target and Camelot Kitten, each making his first start of the year, in a field of 11 set to go 1 1/16 miles over the Mellon turf course.

Projected had to steady at the top of the stretch of the Poker and then was pushed down toward the rail by winner Ballagh Rocks in deep stretch. There was a stewards’ inquiry, but the result was allowed to stand.

Prior to that, Projected ran second to World Approval in the Grade 2 Dixie at Pimlico. In both starts, Projected showed the ability to handle ground that had some give to it, which could be the case Saturday with rain in the forecast.

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Projected will have to work out a trip from the rail under Javier Castellano.

Takeover Target is right to his outside in post 2. Takeover Target had some physical issues coming out of his sixth-place finish in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker at Belmont last fall. Prior to that race, Takeover Target had shown an affinity for soft ground.

“I’ve been pleased with his works, especially his last two,” Brown said. “He’s been working with Time Test and held his own well. It looks like he might get the soft turf that he likes.”

Brown said Camelot Kitten was body sore following a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and was turned out for several months.

“He’s come back really good,” Brown said.

Zennor has gone 3 for 4 this year, including back-to-back allowance wins at Keeneland and Belmont. Fire Away, Ring Weekend, and Macagone are other contenders in this field.

Versatility benefits On Leave

On Leave, the winner of the Perfect Sting Stakes at Belmont in July, and Sassy Little Lila, the runner-up in the Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont in June, head a field of 11 entered in the $100,000 De La Rose Stakes at a mile.

On Leave may have an edge given her versatility. Last year, she rallied from well back to win the Riskaverse Stakes over this turf course. She won the Grade 2 Sands Point on the lead at Belmont. On Leave is coming off a neck victory over Off Limits in the Perfect Sting.

The threat of rain is a concern for On Leave’s trainer, Shug McGaughey.

“I don’t want it to be soft,” McGaughey said. “She’s better on hard.”

Sassy Little Lila does her best running on the front end, but there is other speed in this field, including Freudie Anne, Sky My Sky, and Proper Discretion.

“We’re confident that she’ll go just as well sitting off of the lead,” said Brad Cox, the trainer of Sassy Little Lila. “It’s a very competitive field for a non-graded stakes. She’s training great. I know she’s going to run a big race.”

Boreale, Elysea’s World, and Bar of Gold would benefit from a contested pace.

Neolithic preps for Woodward

The runner-up in the $10 million Dubai World Cup, Gun Runner, will be heavily favored in the Grade 1, $1.2 million Whitney Stakes on Saturday’s card.

About 70 minutes later, the third-place finisher from the Dubai World Cup, Neolithic, likely will be favored in a second-level allowance race at seven furlongs here that goes as race 11.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said he thought the Whitney might be too much too soon for Neolithic, who got a break at WinStar Farm following the Dubai World Cup. Pletcher said he is hoping to use this race as a prep for the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward on Sept. 2.

“He ran pretty well here last year the first time we ran him seven-eighths, so we’re hoping to get a good run from him and move forward to the Woodward,” Pletcher said. “I think he’s ready for seven-eighths, though it might be a little short of his best distance.”

The race also features the return of Mo Town, the winner of the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes last fall who has disappointed in two starts this year. In his most recent start, Mo Town finished seventh in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in April. After getting a thorough physical exam following that race, he resumed training in June at Belmont, and his most recent workout at Saratoga was sensational.

“I’m as happy as I can be with him, but we really need to see him run,” trainer Tony Dutrow said. “We’re going to take Mo Town over there and hope to get him back on track.”