War Like Goddess, Mott Stand Out in Glens Falls
Description:
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
War Like Goddess wins the Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland Race Course
War Like Goddess and trainer Bill Mott are equally imposing forces among seven fillies and mares set for the $250,000 Glens Falls Stakes (G2T) at 1 1/2 miles on the Saratoga Race Course turf Aug 6.
War Like Goddess has seven wins from nine career starts, including a last-to-first score in the 2021 Glens Falls. Mott's record in the Glens Falls is equally impressive with four of the last seven winners to his credit, including War Like Goddess in 2021. He saddled three winners in a row from 2015 through 2017.
On form, War Like Goddess is poised to add to her trainer's accomplishments. A third-place finish in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) ended a four-race victory streak but, after a winter break, she returned to win the Bewitch Stakes (G3T) April 29 at Keeneland Race Course.
"She overcame a very slow pace and kind of a jammed-up trip," Mott said of the Bewitch. "She's doing fine, and we're happy with her progress since she's been up here."
Mott said he thought War Like Goddess put in an admirable performance in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf last year.
"I thought she did great the entire year and had a great run in the Breeders' Cup," Mott said. "She had a little bit of a wide trip, but I think she ran well, and the effort was good."
She starts from post 6 with Joel Rosario in the irons.
For this Glens Falls go-around, Mott also has Petricor , a 4-year-old Frankel filly who seeks her first stakes win in the United States. The Juddmonte homebred showed promise in France, finishing second in the Prix Vanteaux (G3) at Longchamp as a 3-year-old and won her North American debut at Keeneland in April. She was fourth in the Old Forester Mint Julep Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs on June 5.
The Glens Falls is a rare New York turf stakes missing from trainer Chad Brown's résumé and his hope to address that is Virginia Joy . The 5-year-old Soldier Hollow mare is capable, having won at the group 3 level in Germany in 2020 and finishing third in the Henkel-Preis der Diana (German Oaks, G1).
Virginia Joy has won half her six U.S. starts for Brown and owner Peter Brant, the victories including The Very One Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park and the Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park, both earlier this season.
Virginia Joy was last seen finishing fourth in the New York Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park June 10—a race in which Brown-trained horses finished first, third, fourth, and fifth.
Key Biscayne had five winless starts at Gulfstream Park during the winter, then landed an allowance optional claimer June 12 before heading north. She had better success at Delaware Park, rallying from mid-field to win the Robert G. Dick Memorial Stakes (G3T) by 1 1/4 lengths.
Key Biscayne, a 5-year-old Arindel homebred by Brethren , finished third in the Saratoga Oaks Invitational in 2020. Her best showing in three previous appearances at the Spa was a runner-up finish last August in an optional claiming event.
The others in the Glens Falls, Treasure Tails and Flanigan's Cove , would seem to need some improvement to compete for the win.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 06, 2022, Race 7Entries: Glens Falls S. (G2T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Temple City Terror (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
120
Brendan P. Walsh
12/1
2
2Virginia Joy (GER)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
124
Chad C. Brown
5/2
3
3Petricor (GB)
Jose L. Ortiz
120
William I. Mott
6/1
4
4Flanigan's Cove (KY)
Luis Saez
118
Claude R. McGaughey III
20/1
5
5Key Biscayne (FL)
Junior Alvarado
122
Juan Alvarado
30/1
6
6War Like Goddess (KY)
Joel Rosario
122
William I. Mott
1/2
7
7Treasure Tails (FL)
Madeline Rowland
118
Cara Holtzinger
50/1
