Stars Above Me rallies to win Coronation Cup

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Stars Above Me has only been in this country for about two weeks, but she proved a quick study, overcoming a difficult start by unleashing a devastating late kick to win Wednesday’s $100,000 Coronation Cup Stakes at Saratoga by 2 1/4 lengths.

Scatcapade rallied down the center of the course to get second by 1 1/2 lengths over Burn Control. Ruslana, Elena Strikes, Recoupe, and Fat Kat completed the order of finish. Hot Squeeze and Isabelle scratched.

Stars Above Me, a Britain-bred daughter of the Australian-bred stallion Exceed and Excel, was making her first start in the United States and her first for trainer Graham Motion after winning once in five starts for trainer Roger Charlton in Europe.

Motion said he had enough time to get a work into the filly and even pop her out of the gate once leading up to this.

“We crammed a lot in in a short amount of time,” Motion said.

Stars Above Me, under Irad Ortiz Jr., got bounced around leaving the starting gate as Recoupe knocked her into Fat Kat. Ortiz quickly got Stars Above Me righted, and she sat in the second flight behind dueling leaders Ruslana and Recoupe, who dueled through a half-mile in 44.12 seconds.

In the stretch, Ortiz had a ton of horse but nowhere to run. Inside the eighth pole, Ortiz guided Stars Above Me over to the rail, and when room opened, she kicked clear and galloped away from the field.

Stars Above Me covered 5 1/2 furlongs over good turf in 1:02.11 and returned $6.50 as the favorite.

“I was surprised she overcame it,” Motion said about the start. “But she really did it very easily. It was very impressive.”