Godolphin homebred With The Moonlight will attempt to win her third stakes—the second graded stakes—out of four starts so far this year when she contests the Aug. 20 $200,000 Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course.
The daughter of undefeated 2011 Cartier Horse of the Year Frankel comes into the 1 1/16-mile test off a win Aug. 7 in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes (G3T) by 1 3/4 lengths. In the Saratoga Oaks she beat McKulick, who got the best of her July 9 by the same margin in the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T).
With The Moonlight is trained by Charlie Appleby and will be ridden by Luis Saez, who will break from post 1.
"We couldn't be happier with her," said Chris Connett, traveling assistant to Appleby, of the 9-5 morning-line favorite. "She's doing well and eating up and giving us all the signs you want to see—positive vibes."
The Lake Placid will be With The Moonlight's third start in the United States since she was unplaced in the June 3 Cazoo Oaks (G1) at Epsom. Prior to the Cazoo Oaks, she made her seasonal debut in the 1 1/4-mile Betfair Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket and won by 4 3/4 lengths.
The Lake Placid will be her shortest race of the year, which Connett said should be to her benefit. Like the Pretty Polly, the Belmont Oaks is 1 1/4 miles, while the Saratoga Oaks is 1 3/16 miles and the Cazoo Oaks is 1 1/2 miles.
"The run at Belmont was really as far as she wants to go, so coming back in trip is really not a bad thing for her," he said. "She shows plenty of pace and travels really strongly in her races. We're very pleased with her."
Connett added that the 13-day turnaround from the Saratoga Oaks, the filly's shortest rest between races, should not be an issue.
"Back in Europe, it wouldn't be uncommon for that to happen," he said. "She's come out of her run really well."
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown has four entries in the Lake Placid—Consumer Spending, Dolce Zel, Eminent Victor, and Haughty.
Klaravich Stables' Consumer Spending, the 7-2 second choice, comes into the race off a third in the Belmont Oaks. Two races earlier she won Wonder Again Stakes (G2T) by two lengths at Belmont over yielding turf. Manny Franco has been her rider all year and will break from post 4 with her in the Lake Placid.
Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso are both part of the ownership groups of Dolce Zel and Eminent Victor.
Dolce Zel comes into the Lake Placid off a win on the Saratoga turf July 22 in the Lake George Stakes (G3T). The daughter of Zelzal is owned by Dubb, Caruso, Madaket Stables, and Robert LaPenta. She will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the rider in each of her four American starts, who has the call again from post 5.
Eminent Victor, a daughter of Mr. Z, has won twice and never been out of the money in her four career starts. She was second by a nose to Dolce Zel in the Lake George Stakes and is owned by Dubb, Caruso, The Elkstone Group, and Louis Lazzinnaro. Eminent Victor will exit post 3 with Flavien Prat in the irons.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 20, 2022, Race 8Entries: Lake Placid S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1With The Moonlight (IRE) Luis Saez 122 Charles Appleby 9/5 2 2Sail By (KY) Jose Lezcano 120 Leah Gyarmati 20/1 3 3Eminent Victor (KY) Flavien Prat 120 Chad C. Brown 5/1 4 4Consumer Spending (KY) Manuel Franco 122 Chad C. Brown 7/2 5 5Dolce Zel (FR) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Chad C. Brown 6/1 6 6Haughty (KY) Joel Rosario 120 Chad C. Brown 9/2 7 7Canisy (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Christophe Clement 12/1 8 8Koala Princess (KY) Trevor McCarthy 120 Arnaud Delacour 12/1
