Viadera gets a clean run and just hangs on to win Ballston Spa
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Viadera used a well-timed move in midstretch to take the lead in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, and held off the late-charging High Opinion to win the 1 1/16-mile turf race by a nose.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, Viadera was part of a three-horse entry from trainer Chad Brown in the six-horse field of fillies and mares.
It was a half-length back to Kalifornia Queen, another horse trained by Brown, who got up late for third over Brown’s third entrant in the race, Tamahere.
Viadera, who is owned by Juddmonte Farms, paid $3.60 to win the $400,000 race. Final time was 1:41.82, with Viadera getting a 94 Beyer Speed Figure.
Viadera was coming off a highly troubled fourth in the Aug. 8 De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga, her comeback race after an eight-month layoff.
“As you can see, Joel got really good position this time, and made sure there weren’t too many horses in his way when he wanted to make his run,” said Brown after the race, as he watched a replay on the Saratoga infield video board. “He got a good ground-saving trip, and once again she showed she knows where the wire is.”
Viadera remained in stalking position throughout the race, behind a pace set by Tamahere, who carved out an unlikely first quarter of 22.60 under Irad Ortiz. Normally an off-the-pace runner, Tamahere then settled down in her second quarter to run a first half mile in 47.55, pushed by the longshot Platinum Paynter, who appeared, on paper, to have only one way to win the Ballston Spa: on the front end.
“She was in it to win it,” Brown said, referring to Tamahere. “She’s not a pacemaker. She’s been rank, as you’ll see in her past performances. I’m tired of seeing her rank, and so are the owners, as was Irad, so we said, ‘Let’s try to slow the race down and win that way.’ ”
Tamahere then coasted through another moderate quarter-mile and led at the top of the stretch after six furlongs in 1:12.12.
“I thought she had a really good chance to win it at that point,” Brown said.
But Rosario asked Viadera to quicken, and 5-year-old mare surged to the lead four paths from the rail with half a furlong remaining. High Opinion came up the inside to grab second, with Kalifornia Queen rallying on the outside.
“At the last minute, I knew the horse was coming inside,” Rosario said. “But [Viadera] was so game and fighting going forward, so I was never worried about it. But that horse came very close.”
Viadera has now won four of her last five races, three of those graded stakes. Brown said after the race that she will likely be pointed to the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 9, with the ultimate goal of defending her victory last year in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar, which will host the Breeders’ Cup in November.
“I’m not sure if she’s a Breeders’ Cup horse,” Brown said. “But we sure would like to go back and defend her win in the Matriarch at the end of the year.”
And that will be that for Viadera, most likely, Brown said. She’ll retire at the end of the year and join Juddmonte’s vaunted broodmare band.