Chad Brown Trio Draws Only Two Rivals in Ballston Spa
Image:
Description:
Photo: Skip Dickstein
Technical Analysis wins the Gallorette Stakes at Pimlico Race Course
Talk about discouraging the opposition. Only two names were found in the Saratoga Race Course entry box to challenge a Chad Brown-trained trio in the Aug. 27 Ballston Spa Stakes (G2T).
It's little wonder it's tough to find opponents. Brown-trained horses have won the Ballston Spa six times and in five of the last seven years—Zagora in 2012, Dacita in 2015, Lady Eli in 2017, Quidura in 2018, Significant Form in 2019, and Viadera in 2021.
This year, Brown has Technical Analysis , backed up by Lemista and Fluffy Socks to chase the $400,000 purse around 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course.
Technical Analysis, a 4-year-old daughter of Kingman , won the Lake George Stakes (G3T) and the Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) during the 2021 Saratoga meeting. She was last seen finishing second in the Diana Stakes (G1T) July 16—a race in which Brown saddled the first four finishers with In Italian the winner in course-record time of 1:45.06.
Lemista, a 5-year-old Raven's Pass mare, got her first U.S. victory in her last start, the WinStar Matchmaker Stakes (G3T) at Monmouth Park July 23. Brown's horses finished first, second, and fourth in that race and the trainer said the secret for Lemista was getting an early forward position.
"She has a good kick. She's just not going to circle the field," he said. "She's not that kind of horse."
Fluffy Socks, a 4-year-old Slumber filly, finished second to Lemista in the Matchmaker and second to Technical Analysis in the 2021 Lake George.
"I'm just so lucky to have so many great horses in the division," Brown said after the Diana. "They separate each other when you run them together. My approach is, I would rather run them against each other and settle it on the track than start to cherry-pick who's running and who's not and a bunch of 'What ifs' if I ran the one I didn't run."
A broad and deep-pocketed list of owners also doesn't hurt the cause. Technical Analysis is owned by Klaravich Stables, Lemista by Peter Brant, and Fluffy Socks by Head of Plains Partners.
Despite his remarkable success in the Ballston Spa and most other East Coast turf stakes, Brown can be beaten— even with top-shelf horses. In the 2020 Ballston Spa, Brown saddled the odds-on favorite, Sistercharlie , who finished third. In 2016, another odds-on favorite, Lady Eli, was caught in the final strides to finish second behind 27-1 longshot Strike Charmer .
Looking to upset the apple cart this year are High Opinion and Our Flash Drive .
High Opinion, a 5-year-old Lemon Drop Kid mare trained by Anthony Dutrow, reported second in the 2021 Ballston Spa, beaten just a nose by Viadera. She warmed up for this year's edition with a fourth-place finish in a Saratoga allowance optional claiming event July 27.
"She ran very well in the Ballston Spa last year and she's never been better so we're taking another try at it," Dutrow said.
Our Flash Drive, a 4-year-old Live Oak Plantation homebred filly by Ghostzapper out of the Dynaformer mare Dynamotor , won the Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes at the Spa Aug. 7 for Mark Casse. That was her first win since a string of three straight posted at Woodbine last summer.
"I thought her last race was big," Casse said. "Obviously, this is going to be a tougher race for her but she's training well, she likes it here, and we figured we'd give it a shot."
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 27, 2022, Race 4Entries: Ballston Spa S. (G2T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1High Opinion (KY)
John R. Velazquez
118
Anthony W. Dutrow
8/1
2
2Lemista (IRE)
Flavien Prat
120
Chad C. Brown
3/1
3
3Our Flash Drive (FL)
Dylan Davis
120
Mark E. Casse
4/1
4
4Fluffy Socks (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
122
Chad C. Brown
7/2
5
5Technical Analysis (IRE)
Jose L. Ortiz
122
Chad C. Brown
1/1
