WinStar Stablemates Racing's Crystal Ball , perfect through three starts as a 4-year-old, will put that mark on the line when facing five graded stakes winners in the 45th running of the $200,000 Shuvee Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares July 25 at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Crystal Ball has won all three of her 2021 starts over different racetracks with different jockeys. The daughter of Malibu Moon began her campaign with an allowance optional claiming score April 2 at Santa Anita Park. She was then shipped to Churchill Downs to win going 1 1/16 miles May 8 under Florent Geroux. Crystal Ball then exited the Bob Baffert stable to join Brisset's barn and won the 1 1/8-mile Lady Jacqueline Stakes June 26 at Thistledown with Luis Saez up. Winless in two starts at the Spa, Crystal Ball made a good showing in her first start at Saratoga when second in last year's Coaching Club American Oaks (G1).
"When she got switched to us our main goal was to win a stakes with her and we accomplished that last time," Brisset said. "The mare is 3-for-3 this year. She's training well, she likes this track. I think it's the next logical spot for her to try and win a graded stakes with her now. She's a gorgeous mare physically. She's obviously going to be in the WinStar broodmare band. It would be nice for her to win that."
Crystal Ball will again be piloted by Saez from post 6.
Trainer Chad Brown brings a trio of graded stakes winners to the Shuvee in Gold Spirit (post 2, Javier Castellano), Dunbar Road (post 4, Irad Ortiz Jr.), and Royal Flag (post 7, Joel Rosario).
Making her first start in North America, Gold Spirit was a group 1 winner in her native Chile, capturing the Alberto Solari Magnasco (G1) at 1 1/4 miles in November. A victory from Gold Spirit would give owner Sumaya U.S. Stable their second Shuvee victory after winning in 2003 with Wild Spirit , who also made her United States debut in the Shuvee.
Peter Brant's Dunbar Road seeks to recapture her winning form from last season, where she won the Shawnee Stakes at Churchill Downs and Delaware Handicap (G2) at Delaware Park in her first two starts. The three-time graded stakes-winning daughter of Quality Road conquered her lone start at the Spa with a 2 3/4-length victory in the 2019 Alabama Stakes (G1).
W.S. Farish's homebred Royal Flag, second in last year's Shuvee to subsequent grade 1 winner Letruska , has never missed the board in nine starts touting a 4-3-2 record.
The 5-year-old daughter of Candy Ride won the Turnback the Alarm Handicap (G3) Nov. 7 at Aqueduct Racetrack going nine furlongs in her only graded stakes victory and returned five months later to finish a narrow second in the Baird Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) April 16 at Keeneland.
"All three horses are doing well. They're coming off layoffs of some sort, so it's a bit of an obstacle to overcome, but they're all training well," Brown said. "I've gotten to know Gold Spirit pretty well over the past couple of months and she seems like a quality horse. Dunbar Road ended up having a throat infection that we've been working on and it's good now. I've been very pleased with her last few works."
Rounding out the field are grade 3 winner Antoinette , runner-up in the June 26 Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) last time out, multiple graded stakes victress Horologist , and Liberty M D , who is 2-for-2 in easier company.
Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, July 25, 2021, Race 9Entries: Shuvee S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Horologist (NJ)
Junior Alvarado
122
William I. Mott
8/1
2
2Gold Spirit (CHI)
Javier Castellano
120
Chad C. Brown
8/1
3
3Liberty M D (KY)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
118
Ian R. Wilkes
30/1
4
4Dunbar Road (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
122
Chad C. Brown
2/1
5
5Antoinette (KY)
John R. Velazquez
122
William I. Mott
4/1
6
6Crystal Ball (KY)
Luis Saez
124
Rodolphe Brisset
4/1
7
7Royal Flag (KY)
Joel Rosario
120
Chad C. Brown
5/2