No Rushing Fall, but Brown still has plenty of power for Lake George Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Rushing Fall was not among the eight 3-year-old fillies entered Tuesday for Friday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Lake George Stakes - the co-feature on Saratoga’s 10-race opening-day card - but trainer Chad Brown will still be represented in the 1 1/16-mile turf race.

Rushing Fall, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner, developed a temperature coming out of her most recent workout last Saturday at Belmont Park, according to Brown, and is forced to miss the race.

In her place, Brown entered Punked and Altea in what now looks like a wide-open affair.

Punked, an Irish-bred daughter of So You Think, has one win from three starts for Brown since being purchased last year by Bob Edwards’s e Five Racing Thoroughbreds –which owns Rushing Fall. She is coming off a second-place finish to Got Stormy in the Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont on June 23. Punked drew the rail for the Lake George and will be ridden by Javier Castellano.

Brown said Punked would have run in Saturday’s Ontario Colleen Stakes at Woodbine had Rushing Fall made it to the Lake George.

Altea, a French-bred daughter of Siyouni, finished fifth in both the Grade 3 Edgewood and Grade 3 Wonder Again in her two most recent starts. Brown is adding blinkers to her equipment.

“She seems to be training well in them,” Brown said. “She lacks early gate speed or position. Longer was not better for her. A cutback in distance will help her. Perhaps this will work for her.”

Daddy Is a Legend, fourth in the Wonder Again after running third in the Edgewood, gives trainer George Weaver a strong contender in the Lake George.

“She’s done nothing but run well all year, she just hasn’t won,” Weaver said. “I know she’s a good filly, but talent in this division is deep.”

Also entered in the Lake George were Going Out, Goodthingstaketime, Heavenly Love, and Andina Del Sur for the turf. Nootka Sound was entered for the main track only.

Casse enters 3 in Schuylerville

Trainer Mark Casse will send out three of the 10 2-year-old fillies entered Wednesday for Friday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga.

Casse has Catherinethegreat, a 10 1/4-length second-out winner at Gulfstream; Tapping Pearl, a debut winner at Churchill Downs; and Eyeinthesky, a first-out winner at Belmont who finished third in the Astoria Stakes. That trio drew posts 1, 6 and 8, respectively, in the six-furlong race

“I was planning on going with two,” Casse said. “I thought maybe I would hold off on Tapping Pearl, but she worked so good the other day, she’s doing so well, it didn’t make sense to wait any longer. Three different owners, you got do what’s best for each person. It seemed to make the most sense to run all three.”

Casse will face his son Norm, who will send out Fightress, a debut winner at Churchill Downs. Fightress drew post 4.

Todd Pletcher, a six-time winner of the Schuylerville, will send out Nonna Madeline, a good-looking first-out winner at Monmouth Park. She drew post 2.

Steve Asmussen, a three-time Schuylerville winner, saddles the maiden Lady Apple, who finished second in both of her starts, the last one coming for Asmussen following a private purchase by Phoenix Thoroughbreds. Lady Apple drew post 9.

Others entered include Congrats Gal (post 3), Lonely Road (post 5), Serengeti Empress (post 7), and Blame the Frog (post 10).

Though it rained heavily here on Tuesday, the forecast calls for dry conditions beginning Wednesday. Friday’s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 86 degrees.

First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.