Naomis rallies from last to take Lake Placid in U.S. debut
:quality(75))
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Naomis showed she figures to be a force to reckon with in the 3-year-old filly turf division by rallying from last to a half-length victory over Ultimate Love while making her U.S. debut Saturday at Saratoga in the $400,000 Lake Placid Stakes.
Naomis, a French-bred daughter of City Light, was purchased privately by the partnership of Madaket Stables and Michael Dubb following a victory going a mile at Toulouse. She remained in France to capture the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly six weeks later before being shipped to the U.S.
She has trained forwardly since joining trainer Chad Brown’s stable shortly thereafter and came into the Grade 2 Lake Placid in top form despite missing a work after spiking a fever earlier this month.
With Flavien Prat aboard, Naomis broke a step slow and dropped to the rear of the nine-horse field approaching the clubhouse turn. She remained at the back of the field, about eight lengths off the lead, entering the second bend, came widest into the stretch, then finished full of run down the center of the course to catch 17-1 Ultimate Love in the shadow of the wire.
Ultimate Love, winless in her last four starts dating back 11 months, raced forwardly from the outset, slipped through along the rail to strike the front between calls in midstretch but could not contain the winner’s final surge.
Deep Learning, Naomis’s uncoupled stablemate, rallied mildly to finish third after following by the pace-pressing East Jabip, who ran gamely despite ducking out sharply at the break.
Naomis completed a mile over the firm footing in 1:35.72 and paid $4.54 while giving Prat his fourth win on the Travers Day card.
“She has an amazing turn of foot,” Brown acknowledged after the race. “She had trained like a very promising and very talented filly since arriving at our barn.
“I momentarily thought about the Lake George [here on Aug. ]) with her but she spiked a temperature and that made up my mind for me.”
Brown said that starting her off at a mile in the Lake Placid, considering her most recent form in France, was also a logical choice.
“Obviously her form going a mile in her last two starts was very good, so it made sense to start her here at a mile,” he said. “She trained like she could be a potential QE II horse and she sure looks like that off this run.”
The Grade 1, $750,000 Queen Elizabeth II will be held at Keeneland on Oct. 10.
Brown praised Prat for his flawless ride aboard the winner.
“He’s riding just superb, as are a handful of other jockeys in the colony,” Brown noted. “He timed it perfectly.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.
