Hello Friday! Another weekend is upon us and many racing fans will be enjoying the freshly open Summer racing at Del Mar and Saratoga. If you’re looking for a nice purse this Saturday, look no further than the Diana Stakes.
Today, 7/20/18, is opening day at Saratoga Race Track in New York. The historic track will see many visitors over the next 40 days. The first Saturday will host the 80th running of the Grade 1 Diana Stakes.
The Diana Stakes was inaugurated in 1939. It holds a purse of $500,000. The race is for fillies and mares age 3 and upwards. It is 1 and 1/8 miles on the turf (9 furlongs). Last year it was won by a crowd favorite and the now retired, Lady Eli. This year, race 10, posting at 6:18 P.M. ET will host 7 contenders.
The field is as follows by post/horse/jockey/trainer/and morning-line odds:
- Sistercharlie/John R. Velazquez/Chad C. Brown/9-5
- Proctor’s Ledge/Jose L. Ortiz/Brendan P, Walsh/4-1
- New Money Honey/Javier Castellano/Chad C. Brown/8-1
- War Canoe/Dylan Davis/Gary C. Contessa/50-1
- Ultra Brat/Joel Rosario/H. Graham Mortion/8-1
- A Raving Beauty/Irad Ortiz, Jr./Chad C. Brown/2-1
- Hawksmoor/Julien R. Leparoux/Arnaud Delacour/6-1
Sistercharlie is a 4 year-old Irish bred mare. She has won 4 of her 8 starts and finished 2nd in 3 races. Her record for starts: wins-2nds- and 3rds reads 8:4-3-0. Her last 3 starts were all Grade 1 and 2 stakes after she came to the U.S. to race. In these graded stakes, she also finished 1st and 2nd per her usual record. She has won at my home track, Keeneland. New Money Honey bested her in the Belmont Oaks. Sistercharlie’s jockey, Velazquez, holds the speed record for the Diana Stakes which was achieved with Hard Not to Like at 1:45.22. Velazquez has multiple wins in the Diana. Sistercharlie’s trainer, Brown, has won the past 2 years in the Diana Stakes, as he did in 2011. Brown trains 3 in this year’s edition.
Proctor’s Ledge is also 4 but she comes from KY breeding. She has a 13:5-3-1 record. Her last 10 races were all graded stakes. She finished 1st and 2nd respectively in her last 2 races. She also raced with New Money Honey in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Keeneland. Her connections have yet to win the Diana Stakes.
New Money Honey is another KY bred 4 year old. She is my favorite for the win. She won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and has continued to be a tough mare. Her career boasts 10:5-1-0. Her last start was in New York at Belmont Park where she won. Her jockey, Castellano, won back to back Diana victories in 2011 and 2012. Her winning trainer is also Brown.
War Canoe is a New York bred 5 year-old mare. Her career reads 20:5-4-8. This is a huge step up in class for her as she has only participated in maiden, claiming, allowance, and one black type race, where she finished third. All of her races have been at various New York tracks and she did win in her last start. Her connections have no wins in the Diana Stakes.
Ultra Brat is a 5 year-old KY mare. She has raced 14:6-1-1. Ultra Brat has won black type and graded stakes. She participated in at graded stakes at Keeneland in the Spring and she won a G3 in her last start at Pimlico. She has raced in NY, though this will be her first start at Saratoga. This would be a first for her connections if she takes the Diana.
A Raving Beauty is just as the name suggests! She is a 5 year-old grey of German breeding. At 19:5-3-2 she has a good deal of experience. Her last 2 starts were her only U.S. races. Each were graded stakes and she won them both in NY at Belmont Park. Her jockey, Irad Ortiz, Jr. won the Diana the last 2 years in a row and she is the third horse in this race to be trained by winner, Brown.
Hawksmoor is a 5 year-old mare from Ireland. She crossed the pond in October of 2016 and began racing in the U.S. first at Keeneland. Her 9 races in this country have all been graded or black type. She is a winner of the New York Stakes but this is her first start at Saratoga. Her jockey, Leparaoux , won the Diana in 2008 and 2009.
I like this eclectic mix of mares. In a small field they certainly have some varied entries. This race should be interesting to watch though I’ll be cheering for New Money Honey. If I should ever gather some new money myself I’ll make it to Saratoga to watch the live racing too.
