Uni looking for second win of year in De La Rose

British-born Uni and Irish-born Precieuse both raced in France under the care of trainer Fabrice Chappet before coming to the U.S. to join trainer Chad Brown’s arsenal of turf females. On Saturday, they’ll be in the same starting gate for the $100,000 De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga.

The De La Rose is one of two stakes Saturday at a mile on the Saratoga turf, along with the $100,000 Lure. Both races drew their defending winner.

Uni, a stakes winner in France, finished third in last year’s Grade 1 Belmont Oaks in her first start for Brown, then finished second, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes in her first outing at Saratoga. She won the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes at Belmont by a neck over La Coronel, but was fourth to that one in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II at Keeneland.

In Uni’s first start this year, she was strong off a six-month layoff to win the Plenty of Grace Stakes at Aqueduct in smart fashion. She broke well, sat third, and powered clear to a one-length victory. She finished the mile in a course-record 1:33.42.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has been aboard for all of Uni’s U.S. starts, and he said an improved break in the Plenty of Grace allowed him to get a good position with her. The break could be key in the De La Rose because she drew the rail.

“[Brown] knows his horses,” Ortiz said after the race. “He told me last year, she wasn’t always breaking good, but today she broke good and I got a perfect trip. [It was] her first time coming back for the year, so he said to break wherever she’s comfortable and go from there. She was ready.”

Uni will come off another layoff Saturday, as she was entered in the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes in May, but became ill after shipping to California and scratched. Recently, she has worked with Precieuse, who is making her first start since June 2017, and first in the U.S.

Precieuse, who has Javier Castellano in the irons, won the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches in France last year, contested on a soft course. The forecast calls for more than an inch of rain in the Saratoga area on Friday, and continued wet weather on Saturday.

Thundering Sky won last year’s De La Rose by a neck over multiple graded stakes winner On Leave. Thundering Sky, trained by George Weaver, has not won in seven starts since then, but does have four graded placings in that span. The race has another international player in Care Lady, a multiple Group 1 winner in her native Argentina who makes her first start here for Arnaud Delacour.

In the Lure, last year’s winner Zennor enters off a year layoff. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee won three straight races last spring and summer.

Voodoo Song, who won four races at last year’s Saratoga meet, including the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes, is entered in the Lure but isn’t certain to stay in the field. Voodoo Song, who won the Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont last out, would be among the favorites, but owner Barry Schwartz has said he wants to run him in the Grade 1 Fourstardave here on Aug. 11.

Those expected to start in the Lure include graded stakes winners Ballagh Rocks, Blacktype, Camelot Kitten, Conquest Panthera, Inspector Lynley, and Ticonderoga, along with minor stakes winners Dalarna and Mr Cub.

The popular Mr Cub is in career form, as he has won two of his last three. He was beaten a half-length when caught late in the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes last out, finishing third behind Mr Misunderstood and Inspector Lynley.