Newstead Stables' Laurelin will face her toughest task yet in the $500,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 9, but the 9-5 morning-line favorite has passed every test thrown at her to this point.
The Irish-bred daughter of Zarak has started her career a perfect 4-for-4 for trainer Graham Motion, sweeping victories in a trio of stakes on firm, good, and yielding ground. In her most recent effort, the June 27 Penn Oaks at Penn National Race Course, she stalked off the pace and pounced late for a 1 1/4-length victory. Regular rider Kendrick Carmouche returns to the saddle after Jorge Ruiz pinch-hit in Pennsylvania.
Laurelin's graded debut also adds the new challenge of added distance in the 1 3/16-mile contest. Her three stakes wins have all come over a mile and her debut victory at 1 1/16 miles. She and Mark Grier's stakes-debuting Evershed are the only two fillies in the six-horse field to have not tested at least 1 1/8 miles.
That added distance will play a key role for several contenders, including Stephanie Seymour Brant's Opulent Restraint. The Chad Brown-trained daughter of Dubawi has set the pace in each of her last two starts, being caught by Laurelin for a neck defeat two starts back in the one-mile Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack and a third-place finish July 5 to top fillies Fionn and Nitrogen by three-quarters of a length in the 1 1/8-mile Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga.
With Flavien Prat aboard, Opulent Restraint is the 2-1 second choice on the morning line as she attempts to successfully stretch her speed out from the rail.
Higher in price at 6-1 is Bregman Family Racing's Totally Justified, who prompted Opulent Restraint's pace in the Belmont Oaks before fading to seventh. The 12 3/4 lengths she was beaten was the worst loss in her eight-race career. Without a clear reason as to what caused the poor showing, trainer Rusty Arnold is hopeful her training well in the mornings will translate to a bounce-back performance.
"She's got one bad race in her life. It was a race up here (at Saratoga), we don't really know why," Arnold said. "She's come out of it good, she's trained good back up here. We're going to give them another try."
Meanwhile, the distance could potentially be too short for Bobby Flay's Go Go Boots, who makes her United States debut for trainer Miguel Clement. After winning her debut over a mile, the Night of Thunder filly has not gone shorter than 1 1/4 miles in the four starts since. However, she's held top company with starts in the Epsom Oaks (G1) and during the Royal Ascot meeting.
"She's very kind, easy to work with, and stress free," Clement said about how the filly has transitioned to the U.S. "It's a tall task what we're asking her to do (after shipping). ... It's a small field, it's a great opportunity for a grade 2."
Jose Ortiz is set to ride as the 7-2 third choice.
Rounding out the field is late-running Sigh No More for Heider Family Stables and trainer Brendan Walsh. A group 3 winner in Ireland last fall, the Starspangledbanner filly most recently won the June 29 Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth Park in her second U.S. start.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 9, 2025, Race 9Entries: Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Opulent Restraint (IRE) Flavien Prat 121 Chad C. Brown 2/1 2 2Sigh No More (IRE) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 121 Brendan P. Walsh 8/1 3 3Go Go Boots (GB) Jose L. Ortiz 121 Miguel Clement 7/2 4 4Evershed (IRE) Dylan Davis 121 Arnaud Delacour 8/1 5 5Totally Justified (KY) Manuel Franco 121 George R. Arnold II 6/1 6 6Laurelin (IRE) Kendrick Carmouche 121 H. Graham Motion 9/5
