Selflessly up in final stride of Lake George; Chad Brown charge pays $30.60
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Last year, it was impossible for trainer Chad Brown to lose the Grade 3 Lake George Stakes at Saratoga as, after scratches, he saddled the only three horses in the race.
Friday, Brown’s chances seemed a bit more remote as he sent out Selflessly, a 14-1 shot in a field of 10 that included heavily favored Sweet Melania.
In the end, though, it was Selflessly, who finished last behind Sweet Melania in the Grade 3 Wonder Again at Belmont Park in June, who wore down that rival in the last stride to win the Lake George by a nose, returning $30.60.
“Some loyal Chad Brown fans made money, for sure,” Brown said.
Sweet Melania, the 3-5 favorite who was unraced since the Wonder Again, finished second by a half-length over Witez. Micheline finished fourth and was followed, in order by Sugar Fix, American Giant, My Sassy Sarah, Windracer, Velvet Crush, and Cat’s Pajamas.
It was the fourth Lake George victory in the last six years for Brown.
Selflessly, who won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo as a maiden last fall, came out of her race in the Wonder Again with some cuts on a hind leg that needed sutures, Brown said.
Perhaps adding to Selflessly’s longshot status was the fact Brown had to change jockeys from Irad Ortiz Jr. - who missed a second straight card due to a sore wrist - to David Cohen, whom Brown uses sparingly.
Cohen had previously won five races from 26 mounts for Brown, but three of those came during a winter meet at Aqueduct.
Cohen hustled Selflessly away from the gate and settled her into fifth position, about a length behind Sweet Melania, who was sitting third behind Windracer and Sugar Fix, the pair being sent to the front from their outside posts.
Cohen basically followed Sweet Melania all the way around the course. In the stretch, when Sweet Melania, under Jose Ortiz, rallied along the inside to take the lead from Windracer, Cohen followed that move. Inside the eighth pole, Cohen guided Selflessly off the rail and she was able to wear down Sweet Melania in the final jump.
“Happy to get a good trip behind the horse that I thought would take us the whole way [around],” Cohen said. “You never really want to get stuck behind a horse that you think is going to back up into you. My filly really finished strong, showed a lot of heart.”
Selflessly, a daughter of More Than Ready owned by Klaravich Stable, covered the mile over good turf in 1:36.06.
“He rode such a great race, he deserves a lot of credit,” Brown said of Cohen. “He followed the favorite all the way. He used her early to get some position, which was key, and it was a real patient, well-timed ride and the filly responded as well.”
The victory was the 24th of the meet for Brown, putting him in a tie for the lead with Pletcher.
Captain Bombastic pulls away in NYSS
After dueling early through fast fractions with Dream Bigger, Captain Bombastic pulled away in the stretch to win the $100,000 Times Square Division of the New York Stallion Stakes for 3-year-olds by 5 1/4 lengths.
Dream Bigger finished second by 2 1/4 lengths over Chowda. Slash Gordon and Ariesberg completed the order of finish.
Captain Bombastic was dropping in class after finishing fourth in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens. Prior to that, he won the Mike Lee Stakes for New York breds.
Captain Bombastic is owned by Team Hanley and trained by Jeremiah Englehart. Luis Saez picked up the mount from Ortiz.
Captain Bombastic, a son of Forty Tales, covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.36 and returned $3.30 as the 3-5 favorite.