Proctor's Ledge faring better than her trainer ahead of Lake Placid Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Brendan Walsh is less sound today than he was going into his memorable victory with Proctor’s Ledge in the Grade 3 Lake George earlier in the Saratoga meet. Fortunately, his steadily improving 3-year-old filly is just fine, and will be a major player when she returns against five rivals in Saturday’s Grade 2 Lake Placid here.

Walsh, who has the majority of his stable in Kentucky, fractured his collarbone in a riding mishap at Churchill Downs not long after Proctor’s Ledge gave him his first Saratoga winner on July 21.

“I was galloping out on a filly and she just kind of fell in a heap,” said Walsh. “It was a weird thing. She just tripped or crossed her legs or something. She did not break down, and luckily she came out of it fine. It could have been a whole lot worse for the both of us. I’ve taken a lot harder falls and walked away from them, so you just never know. But the doctors say it’s a run-of-the-mill break and they’re telling me I’ll be back to galloping or at least getting on the pony in four weeks.”

Proctor’s Ledge, a homebred daughter of Ghostzapper owned by Patricia Moseley, has had two breezes since her 1 3/4-length victory over Party Boat in the Lake George.

“She’s doing great,” said Walsh, who rode the filly in her first work back on Aug. 4. “Both her works were really just maintenance breezes. I couldn’t be happier with the way she’s coming into this race, and I’m hoping maybe she’ll improve again. I’d like to think we haven’t seen the best of her yet.”

Proctor’s Ledge raced with Lasix for the first time in the Lake George, although Walsh said he doesn’t believe that was a major factor in her success.

“She’d been kind of unlucky in bits and pieces here and there in her previous races, so we just wanted to have everything in her corner to give her every advantage possible for the race here,” said Walsh.

Also in the field for the 1 1/8-mile Lake Placid are Uni, who finished third behind stablemate New Money Honey in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in her U.S. debut on July 8; three-time graded stakes winner La Coronel; Party Boat; Coasted; and Berned.

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