Saranac appears to be an intramural battle

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In a scenario all too familiar in graded turf stakes here this summer, trainer Chad Brown will have the horse to beat – make that horses to beat – when he sends out a trio of contenders led by Camelot Kitten in the $300,000 Saranac for 3-year-olds on turf Saturday at Saratoga.

Camelot Kitten is the most accomplished of the Brown trio, having won three of his last four starts, all graded stakes, including the Grade 2 Hall of Fame by a nose over Airoforce. A full brother to Grade 1 winner Bobby’s Kitten, Camelot Kitten will face a pair of up-and-coming stablemates in the nine-furlong Saranac – Call Provision and Ray’s The Bar.

Brown said he wrestled over whether to run Camelot Kitten on Saturday.

“He’s in great form right now, but he’s run a lot, so I debated if I wanted to run him up here one more time or not,” said Brown. “I breezed him the other day, and the horse breezed well and is acting like he wants to run again, so we’ll see if he can maintain his form.”

Camelot Kitten has four wins in eight career starts, with a neck his largest margin of victory.

“He certainly has that competitive nature when it gets close down there – he’s a proven winner,” said Brown. “He’s one of those horses who knows where the wire is.”

Call Provision and Ray’s The Bar are coming off impressive allowance victories with career-best Beyer Speed Figures.

“They’re both lightly raced horses who are doing quite well at the moment,” said Brown. “Call Provision got started late. He never ran at 2, and I threw him in the deep end quick because that’s how talented I thought he was. We always thought a lot of Ray’s The Bar. He kind of lost his way a little bit. It just took him a while to figure things out.”

Brown’s main concern is the lack of pace in the Saranac.

“It’s an evenly matched field that will probably become a sprint home with all seven of them,” said Brown. “And it will likely come down to the trip, as usual, in these kind of races.”

Strike Midnight and Isotherm, the third- and fifth-place finishers in the Hall of Fame, will be back to take on Camelot Kitten. Inspector Lynley, third in the Grade 3 Kent in his last start, and recent allowance winner Copingaway complete the field.

Key Contenders

Camelot Kitten, by Kitten’s Joy

Last 3 Beyers: 92-91-89

◗ He’ll once again concede weight to his competition while carrying the top weight of 123 pounds under the allowance conditions of the race.

Call Provision, by Lemon Drop Kid

Last 3 Beyers: 88-82-88

◗ Finished a neck behind Camelot Kitten in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge earlier this season at Penn National and improved with the addition of blinkers in his last start.

“He focused up nicely with blinkers last time,” Brown said. “I think the blinkers were the final piece with this horse being more professional in his races.”

Ray’s The Bar, by Exceed and Excell

Last 3 Beyers: 92-84-81

◗ The addition of blinkers three starts back has been a big factor in his improvement. “I clearly think blinkers have helped him,” Brown said. “He’s really hitting his stride now.”