Grade 3 Winner Dolce Zel Fresh for Lake George Stakes
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Dolce Zel will try to add a second grade 3 score this season in the Lake George Stakes
Four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown will send out stakes winners Dolce Zel and Eminent Victor in pursuit of his sixth victory in the July 22 $175,000 Lake George Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course.
Brown has captured the past three editions of the one mile inner turf test for 3-year-old fillies, including with 2019 winner Regal Glory , who earned her first graded stakes victory in the Lake George on the path to winning six more graded stakes races, four of which are grade 1s. Brown is off to a quick start in the Saratoga meet, tied with Christophe Clement in wins (4) and leading all trainers in earnings ($711,053).
Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Robert V. LaPenta's Dolce Zel is the lone graded stakes winner in the field, having won the March 12 Florida Oaks (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs in her North American debut and first start for Brown.
The daughter of Zelzal commenced her career in her native France and won second time out last fall at Longchamp before opening this season with her Florida Oaks win. She earned additional graded stakes placings in her next two starts with a respective second and third, respectively, in the Appalachian Stakes Presented by Japan Racing Association (G2T) at Keeneland and the Edgewood Stakes Presented by Forcht Bank (G2T) last out at Churchill Downs.
"I let her catch her breath a little bit after her race at Churchill," Brown said. "She had done a lot of training and running all winter, and she ran well down at Tampa, so I let her catch her breath. She's going to be a little fresh in this race, so we'll see. I think the distance will suit her at a mile."
Distance was also a factor in entering Michael Dubb and The Elkstone Group's Eminent Victor, who exits a triumph in the one-mile Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont Park, where she defeated dual-winning stablemate Oakhurst and graded stakes-placed Breeze Easy .
Privately purchased following a victorious debut last summer at Arlington International Racecourse, the daughter of Mr. Z earned grade 1 black type in her first start for Brown with a late-closing third in Woodbine's Natalma Stakes (G1T) last September.
Following her Wild Applause coup, Brown said she would be under consideration for the Aug. 7 Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes (G3T). He ultimately decided to keep Eminent Victor at one mile for the time being, but said she could stretch out in the fall for Keeneland's Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Dixiana (G1T) Oct. 15.
"She's training great, but I don't feel entirely comfortable moving her up three-sixteenths of a mile quite yet," Brown said. "She only ran one time this year. I'll try to stretch her out a little later in the year. I think she's an interesting horse later on in the year to possibly get to the Queen Elizabeth at a mile-and-an-eighth if we can get there. I'm building her up to that distance rather than just throwing her out too far."
Also entered Friday is stakes winner Koala Princess who comes to the Lake George off an eight-month hiatus, the Shug McGaughey-trained Skims who enters from two third-place finishes against grade 2 company, and Spirit And Glory who recently won her stateside debut in a maiden optional claimer June 16 at Belmont.
Saratoga Race Course, Friday, July 22, 2022, Race 9Entries: Lake George S. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Republique (KY)
John R. Velazquez
120
Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
12/1
2
2Heavenly Hellos (KY)
Abel Lezcano
122
Rey Hernandez
30/1
3
3Al Qahira (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
118
William I. Mott
12/1
4
4Koala Princess (KY)
Trevor McCarthy
120
Arnaud Delacour
9/2
5
5Dolce Zel (FR)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
124
Chad C. Brown
3/1
6
6Eminent Victor (KY)
Flavien Prat
122
Chad C. Brown
5/2
7
7Sister Lou Ann (KY)
Javier Castellano
122
Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
12/1
8
8Skims (GB)
Joel Rosario
120
Claude R. McGaughey III
9/2
9
9Spirit And Glory (IRE)
Dylan Davis
120
Robert N. Falcone, Jr.
8/1
