Saratoga: Princess of Sylmar might race again in 2013

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The connections of Princess of Sylmar have not ruled out running their three-time Grade 1-winning filly again this year but won’t be in a hurry to make a decision.

“There’s still a chance we’ll run again,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains Princess of Sylmar for owner and breeder Ed Stanco. “I haven’t really had a chance to talk to Ed, and I don’t think we’ll come to any firm conclusions for a little bit.”

Princess of Sylmar came out of her 2 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Alabama “very good,” according to Pletcher, who appeared Sunday to be torn over whether to continue on with Princess of Sylmar this year or point to a 4-year-old campaign.

Princess of Sylmar, the first filly since Open Mind in 1989 to win the Kentucky Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks, and Alabama, is not Breeders’ Cup nominated, and a supplement to the Distaff is not being considered. If Princess of Sylmar were to run again this year, it would be either in the $1 million Cotillion at Parx on Sept. 21 or the $400,000 Beldame, where she would meet older fillies – perhaps two-time champion Royal Delta – at Belmont Park.

“There’s plenty of reasons to stop on a lot of these as you go along, so you hate to stop on one when there’s not a reason to, but at the same time, she’s been running all year, there’s a lot of races next year, possibly even as a 5-year-old, so you don’t want to get greedy,” Pletcher said. “That’s what we’ll have to evaluate.”

For many reasons, the Cotillion makes more sense than does the Beldame for the Pennsylvania-bred Princess of Sylmar. As the breeder and owner, Stanco would be in position to pick up $180,000 in bonus money on top of the $600,000 first-place prize were Princess of Sylmar to win. The Cotillion, run at 1 1/16 miles, is restricted to 3-year-old fillies.

Pletcher’s concern is that Princess of Sylmar has run “two very powerful races in four weeks’ time.”

Pletcher said he would evaluate the condition of Princess of Sylmar and speak with Stanco before making a decision.

Princess of Sylmar earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for the Alabama.