The Lake George (Grade 3)- $175.000 Purse
SAR- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile on the Inner Turf
July 22, 2022

A field of seven will be going to post at SAR on Friday for the 19th running of the Lake George. This is a Grade 3 event for three year old fillies, held on the inner turf and run at an even mile. Those details have bounced around since the inception of the race, as while it did debut as a Grade 3, it enjoyed an eight year stretch as a Grade 2 before dropping back to it’s current designation. It had been run at a mile and a sixteenth until 2019, which was the first year at a mile, and purses have bounced around as well, between $100.000 and $200.000. This is the first year it’s been at $175.000. Last year’s race was won by Summers Day, then for First Street Stables, which was the middle race of a three race hot stretch during the summer, which ultimately saw her win the Lake Placid here, as well. She’s now owned by Maxmillion Farm, and is doing well for him. Here is a look at our field for this year’s race!

#1- Scalp (Spankys Barn, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Getting her chance to run at the stake level for the first time, following a victory in an allowance at LS. That was her first race for the trainer, who claimed her for $25.000, and it was also the first time she ran with lasix. She had shown flashes of this potential for D J C Racing Stables, and with only seven races behind her, there’s still plenty of time for her to grow.

#2- Zola (Royalty Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- After a fantatic two year old season which was highlighted by a second place run in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, there were high expectations for her going into this year. Unfortunately for the trainer, she started off 2022 with two sluggish performances but might be starting to turn it around. She was second in her last two, including the Grade 2 Eatontown at MTH last month. Only won once in her nine starts, though.

#3- Tequa (Arindel, ridden by M Franco)- No one in this field has made more than Tequa, and a big part of that is that she is a filly who knows how to win. In eight races, she has made five trips to the winner’s circle afterwards, with two graded victories in her last three starts. In April, she was victorious in the Grade 2 Appalachian at KEE and it’s $400.000 purse. The conditions here are very similar to the Appalachian, and there’s nothing that happened in her last race that would cause me to have any concern about picking her here.

#4- Our Last Night (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- It won’t be the first time that she ran on the turf, but the last time she did so was almost exactly a year to the day, and it came right here at the Spa. Mb Stables picked her up in the auction, for just $5.000, after that race, and has done as we have seen him do many times, gradually build a horse along and move them up the ranks. She’s been against tough company on the main track of late, running in the Black Eyed Susan and the SA Oaks, and will look to take that experience to the turf.

#5- Stacysmomgotitgoingon (Big Jd Racing, ridden by K Carmouche)- The way that our virtual racing world is run makes it uncommon for a horse to stick in one region, but other than her debut, this filly has had it going on at the NYRA tracks her whole career. Often, she has been running in NY-bred races but it took her a little while to break her maiden. She is starting to turn the corner now, and comes off a win in the NY Stallion Stakes- Joy at BEL last month, earning a career best SRF of 97. If she duplicates that again, she may very well win this one, too.

#6- Toxins (London Racing, ridden by T Gaffalione)- She has two things in common with Scalp, who is starting on the rail. Each of them are making their graded debut in this race, and each of them are coming out of the same $33.000 N1X allowance at LS last month. So whoever finished third in that race (Key Companion) might want to re-evaluate the performance of their horse there. Toxins has earned the chance, hitting the board in five of her six career races and also has plenty of time to still grow as a race horse.

#7- Mongolian Khan (Threshold, ridden by J Lezcano)- Other than a blip at TUP (of all places), this filly has been very consistent throughout her career, and if we throw that race out, she’s hit the board in every race but her debut race. Had a strong third place performance in the Grade 3 Senorita at SA, being within a half length of the winner, and was then second in the $200.000 OB Distaff at LS three weeks later. Now, with a little more rest, she’s right back in the type of race she is used to running in, going approximately a mile on the turf but I do wonder if her speed figures are good enough to beat a couple here. She’ll do well, but I hesitate to put her on top.

Prediction: 3-5-7-2

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES