SARATOGA Classic Lady can build on last

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Classic Lady came within a nose of upsetting odds-on choice Fifty Five in the $100,000 Mount Vernon Stakes on July 2 at Belmont Park. Thursday, Classic Lady will go from underdog to favorite when she seeks her first stakes victory in the $85,000 Dayatthespa Stakes at Saratoga.

The Dayatthespa, named for the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner, is restricted to New York-bred fillies and mares who have never won a stakes. It will be run at 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf course.

In the Mount Vernon, Classic Lady was making her first start for trainer Christophe Clement since being transferred from Jorge Abreu by owners Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso’s Bethlehem Stables. In the Mount Vernon, Classic Lady cut the corner beautifully under Joel Rosario and was just nosed out by the millionaire Fifty Five at the wire.

“I thought she ran very well,” Clement said. “My only question mark would be the mile and a sixteenth. I thought she was a touch keen in the race the other day.”

That could possibly be attributed to the Mount Vernon being Classic Lady’s first start in eight months. In her final start for Abreu last November, Classic Lady won an allowance going 1 1/16 miles at Aqueduct.

After two weeks at Saratoga, Clement is the leading trainer with 10 wins, seven of those have been ridden by Rosario.

Clement also is sending out Wegetsdamunnys in the Dayatthespa. Wegetsdamunnys is wheeling back just 17 days after she finished seventh in the River Memories Stakes going 1 1/2 miles at Belmont.

“I was very disappointed with her last race,” Clement said. “I don’t have an excuse, maybe the distance, I’m not sure, but she looks well, she’s trained well, let’s take a shot.”

Last July here, Wegetsdamunnys won a 1 1/8-mile allowance race, rallying from nextto-last to get the job done over yielding ground.

Chad Brown trained Dayatthespa. Wednesday, he’ll send out War Canoe, who had the lead in midstretch of the Mount Vernon before succumbing late and finishing third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Fifty Five and Classic Lady. She defeated Classic Lady in an optional claimer for New York-breds going 1 1/16 miles here last summer when trained by Linda Rice.

War Canoe breaks from the rail as the 124-pound highweight under Irad Ortiz Jr.

Wish Upon returns from a three-month freshening for John Terranova off two bad running lines at Tampa Bay Downs. She finished sixth behind Starship Jubilee in the Grade 2 Hillsborough in March and had a troubled trip when in for the allowance condition of an optional-claiming race on April 29.

Niko’s Dream, trained by Barclay Tagg for the Sackatoga Stable, will be trying to make her presence felt late.

Vortex Road rounds out the field on turf. Love and Love is entered to run only if the race is moved to the main track.