War Like Goddess starts late-season drive in Glens Falls

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Bill Mott saw enough from War Like Goddess in the spring to give her a chance to prove herself worthy of running in the big races in the female turf division later this year. That’s why he gave the 4-year-old English Channel filly an ample break following her back-to-back victories in the Grade 3 Orchid at Gulfstream in March and the Grade 3 Bewitch in April.

“Nobody remembers what happened early in the year,” Mott said. “We got to start the campaign now. I wanted to save a little something for the end of the year. Nothing yet says she’s good enough.”

In Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga, Mott will begin to learn if War Like Goddess is worthy of being pointed to Grade 1 races like the Flower Bowl here on Sept. 4 or the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

War Like Goddess has proven adept at marathon distances. She has twice won at 1 3/8 miles and her victory in the Bewitch came at 1 1/2 miles, the distance of the Glens Falls.

“She has come with a good closing kick so far,” Mott said.

Asked if he felt he had War Like Goddess fit to run 1 1/2 miles off a 106-day layoff, Mott said, “I knew how far the race was.”

Julien Leparoux rides War Like Goddess Saturday from post 4.

Among her opponents are Temple City Terror and Call Me Love, who have both won stakes recently at 1 1/2 miles. Temple City Terror won the Keertana Stakes at Churchill Downs in May before falling 1 3/4 lengths shy of Dalika in the Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware on July 10.

“She didn’t have the greatest trip in the world, but she came running at the end like she did at Churchill, but didn’t quite get there on time,” said Brendan Walsh, trainer of Temple City Terror. “I think she’s a good filly. Since we stretched her out, she hasn’t done much wrong. I think she’ll be very competitive on Saturday as well.”

Call Me Love won the River Memories going 1 1/2 miles on closing day of the Belmont spring/summer meet. She has the ability to lay close to the pace and still finish.

Dalika could be the pace of the Glens Falls. She made all the pace before being run down late by Temple City Terror in the Keertana, and was beaten 4 3/4 lengths by War Like Goddess in the Bewitch.

Luck Money won the Zagora going 1 1/2 miles over soft turf at Belmont last fall. She has twice been second in turf stakes this year.

Trainer Chad Brown sends out the uncoupled entry of My Sister Nat and Orglandes. My Sister Nat won the Grade 3 Waya going 1 1/2 miles here last year. Orglandes won the Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap going 1 3/8 miles at Del Mar last November.

Brown trio tops Lure

Value Proposition and Delaware may have been compromised by the lack of pace when finishing second and third in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple here on July 16. Trainer Chad Brown is bringing those two back in three weeks while bringing Flavius back off a three-month layoff in Saturday’s $120,000 Lure Stakes at Saratoga.

Both Value Proposition and Delaware chased the loose-on-the-lead Rinaldi in the Forbidden Apple going a mile. The Lure is at 1 1/16 miles.

Though Value Proposition finished a neck ahead of Delaware in the Forbidden Apple, Brown thinks Delaware might have run the better race.

“I thought he was best in the last race and he got paced out of there,” Brown said. “Hopefully, there’s a little more pace. He should be right there and the extra distance won’t hurt him.”

Value Proposition is 2 for 2 at 1 1/16 miles, with one of those wins coming in an allowance race here in the summer of 2019.

Following a narrow defeat to Casa Creed in the Elusive Quality at Belmont in April, Value Proposition won an allowance before his second in the Forbidden Apple.

“He was lugging in a little bit last race,” Brown said. “That was disappointing.”

Flavius hasn’t been out since May 22. He chased the loose-on-the-lead Get Smokin around the course in the Seek Again Stakes that day. Brown had tried to enter him in an allowance race that failed to fill.

Dreams of Tomorrow was sharp in an allowance win going a mile on turf at Belmont in May. That day, with blinkers off, he rallied from last to get the win for trainer Shug McGaughey. Dreams of Tomorrow won a one-mile allowance July 9 at Belmont that was taken off the turf.

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Fighting Seabee, who won the With Anticipation here as a 2-year-old in gate-to-wire fashion, could be part of the early pace under Junior Alvarado.

Midnight Tea Time, Tell Your Daddy, Guildsman, South Bend, Ballagh Rocks, and Temple complete the field.