In the June 7 Acorn Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Good Cheer brought an unblemished record but Ashland Stakes (G1) winner La Cara brought her superpower—overwhelming early speed.
The latter prevailed as La Cara secured her second grade 1 win this spring in front-end fashion, thrilling owner/breeder Tracy Farmer.
"It's just an enormous pleasure for me being here. I've been (at Saratoga) forever—or a long time—and I've won many races here; but I love this one," Farmer said.
Farmer noted that La Cara has a knack for making history, which has made her victories a bit more special. In April the daughter of 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Street Sense won a rescheduled Ashland Stakes at Keeneland after heavy rains in Central Kentucky.
"Now she's won an Acorn at Saratoga, which it'll only be here one more year then go back to Belmont Park. So that's special," Farmer said. "She won the Ashland Stakes on a Monday. It's the only one in history on a Monday."
The prerace attention focused on Good Cheer, who extended her perfect record to seven with a clear victory in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 2 on a wet-fast track at Churchill Downs, a race La Cara led early before fading to ninth in the field of 13. But once the gates opened Friday at the Spa, La Cara immediately grabbed some attention with her usual move to the front. The hopes of her connections would build at each point of call.
With regular rider Dylan Davis up, La Cara seized the lead from post 3 and appeared comfortable with a clear lead through a quarter-mile in :23.40 on the sloppy (sealed) track. They continued to enjoy that clear advantage through a half-mile in :47.08, and six furlongs in 1:10.74. At that point in the race her trainer, Mark Casse, joined many others in looking for Good Cheer, who appeared to be grinding gears in the far turn.
La Cara opened her advantage to 3 1/2 lengths in midstretch on her way to posting a three-length score over Look Forward. Look Forward edged third-place Scottish Lassie by a neck while Good Cheer struggled with the track and finished fifth. La Cara completed the 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-old fillies in 1:49.20.
"When they went a half in :47, I was like, OK, that's good," Casse said. "Then about the half-mile pole, I could see Dylan was still sitting, and I could see the others riding. I said, 'This could get interesting.'
"I was looking for Good Cheer and she was really struggling. That's the problem with muddy race tracks, they're different."
La Cara paid $17.40, $10.40, and $17.20 across the board. Those payouts were inflated by 1-5 favorite Good Cheer finishing off the board.
The connections of La Cara have determined that her early speed is her best weapon, and they use it. She's led at first call in her past three races and four of her past five starts, with front-running stakes wins in three of those efforts.
"Plan A was to come out running. That's what she likes to do best," Davis said. "She took control, got into a good rhythm, and she was taking me into the second turn nicely, and that was it. I know there were tough competitors behind us, but she showed her 'Game A' effort out there and she ran hard through the wire."
The race was contested in a drizzle but the track had been inundated by heavy, sustained rain that arrived about an hour before the race. Brad Cox, trainer of Godolphin homebred Good Cheer, thought that the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro may have struggled with the track but also didn't want to make excuses.
"It wasn't her day," Cox said. "Weather and tracks are a great, great equalizer but it didn't do anybody any favors with the way it was coming down. She has performed well on an off track so I shouldn't use that as an excuse. For whatever reason she wasn't up to giving her best effort today."
Reddam Racing's Look Forward, who won the Eight Belles Stakes (G2) on the Kentucky Oaks undercard, earned the first grade 1 placing of her career. Scottish Lassie added to her impressive record, which includes a win in last year's Frizette Stakes (G1).
La Cara is the first foal to race out of the placed Bernardini mare Cara Caterina, who is a full sister to grade 1 winners To Honor and Serve and Angela Renee. Farmer noted that La Cara has a yearling full brother that he's looking forward to seeing race next year.
Street Sense , who stands for $50,000 at Darley near Lexington, boasts a pair of graded stakes winners this year as La Cara is joined by Oaklawn Handicap (G2) winner First Mission.
