Saratoga: Deluxe falls a head short in U.S. debut

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The royally-bred Deluxe came up a head short to Sugar Again in Saturday’s $78,500 Paris Opera Stakes at a mile.

Deluxe, a half-sister to five Grade 1 winners, was making her first start in more than 10 months and first in this country. She broke slowly, settled into seventh position, and made a nice run under Eddie Castro but could not catch the winner, whose rider, Rajiv Maragh, appeared to be keenly aware of Deluxe’s presence at all times.

Bill Mott, who trains Deluxe for Juddmonte Farms, wanted to run the 4-year-old daughter of Storm Cat a little further earlier in the meet but could not get a race to fill at 1 1/8 miles. He hopes to use Saturday’s race as a springboard to the Grade 1 Flower Bowl at Belmont on Oct. 1.

“It was a good effort for the first time, I think. Going a mile might be a little short for her,” Mott said. “She was grinding them down, looked like if we had gone a little further she was going to get to that horse. We needed to get started. Now everything has to go right and maybe we’ll make the Flower Bowl.”

Sugar Again, a 4-year-old daughter of Syncline, covered the mile in 1:35.32. She is owned by Augustin Stable and trained by Jonathan Sheppard.