Praying ($44.40) pulls off upset in Prioress
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There were enough excuses for Praying in her last race for trainer Robbie Medina to dismiss the performance and continue on with his goal of running her in the Prioress Stakes at Saratoga.
Though she missed a prep race a month ago, Praying was still fit enough and fast enough to pull off a 21-1 upset in Saturday’s Grade 3, $169,750 Prioress Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Praying, utilizing an outside stalking trip under Eric Cancel, defeated race favorite Delightful Claire by 3 1/2 lengths, with Flat Out Time a head back in third.
Long Neck Paula finished fourth after setting the pace and Stone Smuggler was last. Rojo Rita scratched.
Praying paid $44.40 to win and covered the six furlongs in 1:10.10, getting a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.
When Praying raced in a first-level allowance at Churchill in May, she acted up terribly in the paddock, Medina said.
“She completely lost her mind in there,” Medina said. “Worst I’ve ever seen a horse act in the paddock.”
Moreover, before the official start of that race, Praying broke through the starting gate. Caught and reloaded, Praying ran off for a half-mile and stopped, finishing seventh and beaten 27 1/2 lengths.
Medina was going to run Praying in an allowance at Ellis Park in late July, but the day she was in, the races were canceled due to heat. Medina then opted to train Praying up to this race.
“We schooled her and she was just perfect,” said Medina, who is based at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Kentucky. “She was perfect since we got here. I knew she was sitting on a good one, was hoping to get some black type, but I didn’t know she was going to run bonkers like that.”
Praying had the outside draw in this field and had a substitute jockey in Eric Cancel, filling in for Jose Lezcano, who suffered a broken collarbone in a spill here on Friday.
Praying was outside and in the clear and only about two lengths off the early pace established by Long Neck Paula, who ran an opening quarter in 22.70 seconds while chased by Stone Smuggler. Praying advanced toward the leaders by the quarter pole, took over from Long Neck Paula at the eighth pole, and drew clear. Delightful Claire, the 3-5 favorite off a big maiden win four weeks ago, rallied to get second by a head over Flat Out Time.
Medina said he chose Cancel to ride because he has light hands, and Praying doesn’t like somebody getting in her mouth.
“They told me to try and stay away from the filly’s mouth, try to keep her comfortable. That’s what I did,” Cancel said. “The post helped me 100 percent with it. I felt I had a lot of horse going to the three-eighths, so I kind of knew they were going to have to run pretty hard to beat her.”
The victory was Medina's first at Saratoga. He enjoyed many wins as an assistant to trainer Shug McGaughey and said he watched the Prioress from the same spot that he watched Honor Code win the 2015 Whitney for McGaughey.
“Any win here is a good win, but to win the first one as a stakes race, I feel like I’m a little blessed,” said Medina, who added he would look at the Grade 2, $400,000 Raven Run at Keeneland on Oct. 18 as a fall goal for Praying.
Meanwhile, Delightful Claire stumbled some at the start and was last early under Luan Machado. She made a run to be second but never threatened the winner.
“He said she broke so hard she churned some dirt the first two strides,” trainer Phil Bauer said. “He said she lost all momentum there. She was rolling late. It was a big ask, cutting back against speed. At least we got a Grade 3 placing and go from there. Overall, happy with the run.”
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