Sharp Susan wires at Spa

Trainer Bill Mott continued his meet-long success by winning three races on Friday's card at Saratoga, including the Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes when Sharp Susan went gate to wire to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

New Edition rallied to get second by three-quarters of a length over the 2-1 favorite, Lady Attack.

Kent Desormeaux rode Sharp Susan ($7.30) and Mott's two other winners - Prussian ($5.90) and Stormy West ($21.20) - giving him 23 for the meet, four behind Cornelio Velasquez. Mott has 16 wins, seven more than Todd Pletcher and Richard Dutrow Jr.

"If it comes down to the last two days of the meet, then I'll get excited about it," said Mott, who won or shared eight Saratoga training titles from 1992 to 2001. "It's impossible not to think about it, but I don't want to put too much emphasis on it."

The key to Sharp Susan's victory was her ability to relax on the lead. In a couple of her past races, Sharp Susan had been too rank. Removing the blinkers two starts back has helped settle her down, Mott said.

Sharp Susan, who covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.69, was making her first start for International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, which purchased a half-interest in her from WinStar Farm the day entries closed.

"As long as we keep on buying them on entry day, we'll look like heroes," said Michael Iavarone, co-president of IEAH.