Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
War Like Goddess will likely point to Breeders’ Cup Turf
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – War Like Goddess, who returned from a four-month layoff to win Saturday’s Grade 2 Glens Falls Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday, will likely target the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf rather than the $2 million Filly and Mare Turf this year, trainer Bill Mott said Sunday.
Due to the configuration of the turf course at Keeneland – the site of this year’s Breeders’ Cup – the distance of the Filly and Mare Turf is 1 3/16 miles as opposed to its usual distance of 1 3/8 miles, at which it was run last year at Del Mar. Mott said while War Like Goddess “could be effective” at 1 3/16 miles, but “I think she prefers longer.”
The Turf is run at 1 1/2 miles.
War Like Goddess is 3 for 4 at 1 3/8 miles and 4 for 4 at 1 1/2 miles. Her lone loss at 11 furlongs came in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, where she finished third after making a premature move.
Prior to the Breeders’ Cup, War Like Goddess will likely make her next start here in the Grade 2, $600,000 Flower Bowl on Sept. 3. War Like Goddess won last year’s Flower Bowl, when it was a Grade 1.
Mott has said because of the downgrading of the race this year he would consider running War Like Goddess in the Grade 1, $750,000 Sword Dancer Invitational at 1 1/2 miles here Aug. 27.
“I think we’re all disappointed the Flower Bowl is not a Grade 1,” Mott said.
Mott was surely not disappointed in War Like Goddess on Saturday when she again overcame a slow pace to win the $250,000 Glens Falls by 1 1/4 lengths under Joel Rosario. She earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for the performance.
“It’s just interesting she can continue to run that well with no pace in front of her,” Mott said.
War Like Goddess was making her first start since she won the Bewitch in April at Keeneland. She missed some time due to suffering muscle cramps, also known as tying up, which cost her a start in the Grade 1 New York in June.
“That looked like it didn’t affect us yesterday,” Mott said.
War Like Goddess, a 5-year-old daughter of English Channel owned by George Krikorian, is 8 for 10 in her career with earnings of $1.2 million.
Mott is planning to run Channel Maker in the Sword Dancer. Channel Maker, an 8-year-old son of English Channel, has participated in the last four runnings of the Sword Dancer, having won it in 2020, the year he won an Eclipse Award as champion male turf horse.
On Sunday, Channel Maker worked four furlongs in 49.24 seconds over the Oklahoma training track in company with Casa Creed, who went in 49.04 seconds as he prepares for a third straight start in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap.
Handle on record pace
Just about halfway through its 40-day meet, Saratoga is on track to set a record for all-sources handle.
Through Sunday’s 19th day of the season, all-sources handle is $416,924,385, up 8 percent over last year’s figure through 19 days of $385,973,818. Last year, Saratoga set an all-time record for all-sources handle with $815,508,063.
Ontrack handle at the meet is $70,071,675, an increase of 7.4 percent over last year’s figure of $65,221,626.
Paid admissions for the 2022 meet – which includes season passes sold – is 486,408, a 2 percent increase over last year’s figure of 477,097.
The weather, for the most part, has been dry, but there have been many days where temperatures were in the 90s.
So far this meet, there have been 194 races run, including 91 on turf with only six scheduled turf races forced to the main track. Through the same 19-day period last year, there were 81 turf races run with 21 scheduled rained off to the dirt.
Average field size for the first 19 days at this meet is 7.94 for 194 races, compared with 7.87 last year through 194 races.
Saturday’s Whitney Day card handled a record $40,289,681, an increase of 9.4 percent over last year’s figure of $36,820,234.
On track, Irad Ortiz Jr. leads all riders in wins with 30, followed by Luis Saez (24), Joel Rosario (21), Flavien Prat (15), and Javier Castellano (15). However, Rosario has won 10 graded stakes (from 18 mounts) through the first 19 days and is in excellent position to eclipse the record for such wins at a Saratoga meet of 11, shared by John Velazquez (2005) and Castellano (2015).
Chad Brown, who had his second fourwin day of the meet on Sunday, leads all trainers with 21 wins. He is followed by Todd Pletcher (15), Mike Maker (10), Christophe Clement (9) and Bill Mott (8).
Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables leads all owners with seven wins. Ron Winchell, Lawrence Goichman, and Barry Schwartz each have three.
The actual halfway point of the meet is Wednesday, and there are still major Saturday cards to come including the Aug. 27 Travers Day program, which last year handled $51,381,515, the third highest Travers Day handle in history.