With The Moonlight favored in Lake Placid despite quick turnaround

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y – With The Moonlight will wheel back on just 13 days’ rest while turning back in distance to a 1 1/16 miles for the first time this season but still figures to go postward the solid favorite in Saturday’s $200,000 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga.

A field of eight 3-year-old fillies was drawn for the Lake Placid, half of whom come from the barn of trainer Chad Brown. All four are expected to start in the wake of the four-time Eclipse Award winner’s arrest on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge Wednesday night.

With The Moonlight made her U.S. debut on July 9 at Belmont Park, finishing second behind Brown’s McKulick in the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile Belmont Oaks Invitational. She avenged that setback here four weeks later with a 1 3/4-length victory over McKulick in the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational.

The 13-day turnaround for the Lake Placid is the shortest in With The Moonlight’s career, although she did post her maiden victory a year ago in Great Britain and returned on only 18 days’ rest when defeating just three rivals going a mile at Chelmsford.

“She had a quiet week after her last win, got in a little breeze over the Oklahoma grass on Sunday and also had a little blowout down the lane over the main track on Wednesday just to stretch her legs a little bit,” said Chris Connett, traveling assistant to trainer Charlie Appleby. “We are very happy with the way she came out of her last race and she’s looking good for Saturday. It’s not unusual to come back on short rest like this in Europe and it’s not like she hasn’t done it before. She’s showing all the right signs and the whole team is very happy with her.”

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Connett said there is also little concern about her shortening up to 1 1/16 miles after running 1 1/2 miles and 1 3/16 miles in her two previous U.S. appearances.

“The run at Belmont is really as far as she wants to go, so cutting back to a mile and a sixteenth shouldn’t be any issue and she’s won at this distance before,” Connett said. “The inside draw should also be a good thing. She should jump out quickly and hopefully Luis [Saez] will be positive with her coming out of there.”

Saez will replace William Buick aboard With The Moonlight in the Lake Placid.

Brown will counter With The Moonlight with the quartet of Dolce Zel, Eminent Victor, Consumer Spending, and Haughty.

Dolce Zel and Eminent Victor finished first and second, respectively, just a nose apart, in the Grade 3 Lake George going a mile here four weeks ago. Brown said Wednesday the Lake George was a tale of two trips.

“Dolce Zel had a nice trip but to her credit showed a lot of bravery having to go through a tiny hole allowing her to win,” Brown said. “Eminent Victor had a troubled trip from the start, didn’t catch the best of it and nearly pulled it off. The two fillies are very close in ability.”

Consumer Spending may be the most highly regarded of the Brown foursome having won the Grade 2 Wonder Again over yielding ground at Belmont late this spring before coming back to finish a fast-closing third in the Belmont Oaks.

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Haughty forced the early running before fading to finish ninth in the Belmont Oaks in only her second start of the year, having launched her campaign with an easy victory in the Penn Oaks on June 3.

“I thought Consumer Spending made a terrific run at Belmont, she just got into a little trouble in the lane,” Brown said. “Going into the Saratoga Oaks she had a foot bruise and I really couldn’t get her ready there. As for Haughty, it just didn’t work out for her in the Oaks, but she’s been training great.”

Koala Princess finished third after being bumped soundly at the break in the Lake George and figures to improve off her first start since finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf 8 1/2 months earlier.

Sail By has started twice since finishing next to last in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf but has been idle since finishing third in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly on May 28.