Royal Flag Flies Home Late to Capture Shuvee Stakes

Five fillies and mares were spread out across the home stretch of Saratoga Race Course July 25 in the $200,000 Shuvee Stakes (G3), leaving the chance for victory wide open in the 1 1/8-mile feature. But it was William Farish's homebred Royal Flag  that flew home late to capture her second graded stakes win.

"She was able to get up in time. She was quite far back turning for home," said winning trainer Chad Brown. "I was very proud of her effort. She showed that she has a lot of heart. She might not have run a lot of times in her career, but every time she shows up."

Royal Flag improved the already-impressive résumé of her family, which is an important part of Farish's Lane's End Farm. The 5-year-old mare is by Lane's End stallion Candy Ride   and out of the multiple graded stakes producer Sea Gull , a daughter of Lane's End's Mineshaft  . Sea Gull is also dam of Catalina Cruiser  , a son of Lane's End's Union Rags   bred by Farish that was a five-time grade 2 winner for Hronis Racing before entering stud at the Versailles, Ky., farm in 2020. She also produced Eagle  , another Farish homebred and a full brother to Royal Flag who was a grade 3 winner. Standing at Valor Farm in Texas with his first 2-year-olds this year, Eagle was represented by his first stakes winner last month.

Making her second start of the year in the Shuvee, a race she was runner-up in a year ago behind now multiple grade 1 winner Letruska , Royal Flag broke from the outside post of six and was kept last early by Joel Rosario. Horologist  broke on top from the rail and led through fractions of :23.35, :47.01, and 1:11.13 through the first six furlongs.

Horologist held on to a narrow lead in the stretch as pressure came on from Brown-trained Gold Spirit  and Crystal Ball . Grade 1 winner Dunbar Road , another Brown trainee, also put in a bid in the middle of the track while Rosario geared up Royal Flag on the far outside. With a final surge, Royal Flag kicked home to complete the 1 1/8 miles on the fast track in 1:49.42, getting up by three-quarters of a length over Horologist.

"Chad told me that to stay out was probably the best. I was just following his other horse (Dunbar Road). I just wanted to have a clean run when I started moving," Rosario said. "When she started moving in the last turn and then with the stride that she has; I was not even asking for everything yet, so I felt she was going to run really big."

Crystal Ball was a head back in third. Gold Spirit, Dunbar Road, and Liberty M D  completed the order of finish. Antoinette  was scratched.

Brown said that Gold Spirit, a group 1 winner in her native Chile, ran bravely in the Shuvee for her first start in the United States, but for Dunbar Road, "That was disappointing. On the final turn when she made that move, I really thought if you stopped the race there she was the probable winner at that point," he said. "It's concerning and we'll have to just examine her back at the barn and see where she is." 

Royal Flag paid $5.30 as the 8-5 favorite. Her Shuvee victory followed a head loss to Bonny South  in the April 16 Baird Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, her first race since winning the Nov. 7 Turnback the Alarm Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack. From a 5-3-2 record in 10 starts she has earned $375,520.

"I don't know if she likes time in between races or something always happens that requires us to give her time," Brown said. "This is her last season racing so hopefully we can give her a more consistent campaign now and get a few starts into her before she's retired."

One of those starts could come back at the Spa in the Aug. 28 $600,000 Personal Ensign Stakes Presented by Lia Infiniti (G1), a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race which awards the winner a fees-paid berth in the Nov. 6 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar.

"I would think so," Brown said of running Royal Flag in the Personal Ensign. "Of course, I'll see how she's doing and talk to Mr. Farish. We'll sort of work backwards from where we want her last race to be. The way she got over the track today, you would have to believe that would be at the top of the list." 

Sea Gull has another Candy Ride filly named Song of the Sea who is an unraced 2-year-old, a yearling Arrogate colt, and a Quality Road   colt foaled in March. She was reported bred to Into Mischief   for 2022.

Video: Shuvee S. (G3)