Santana will ride Midnight Bisou in Personal Ensign Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Ricardo Santana Jr. will ride Midnight Bisou in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga, said Jeff Bloom, president of the Bloom Racing Stable partnership that owns the mare, on Sunday.

Regular jockey Mike Smith will be unable to ride the 2019 champion older female due to COVID-19-related restrictions on movement of riders at Del Mar, where Smith is based, and Saratoga.

“He’s been working her pretty much every week, he worked her prior to the Fleur de Lis, she’s familiar with him,” Bloom said.

Smith has ridden Midnight Bisou in 17 of her last 19 starts. John Velazquez had ridden her in the other two races, which included a victory in the Grade 2 Beldame last September at Belmont Park.

Santana was aboard Midnight Bisou last Monday when she worked six furlongs in 1:12.69 over Saratoga’s main track. Midnight Bisou was scheduled to have an easy half-mile move on Monday for her final serious training session.

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Midnight Bisou, a 5-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute trained by Steve Asmussen, is coming off a dominant 8 1/4-length victory in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs on June 27. Midnight Bisou is a five-time Grade 1 winner, including a nose victory over Elate in last year’s Personal Ensign.

Entries for the Personal Ensign will be Wednesday. Those expected to run are Point of Honor, runner-up in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps; Motion Emotion, second to Midnight Bisou in the Fleur de Lis; Abounding Joy, winner of the Iowa Distaff on July 4; and Vexatious, runner-up to Monomoy Girl in the Grade 2 Ruffian at Belmont Park on July 11.

The Personal Ensign, run at 1 1/8 miles, provides the winner an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.