Letruska in Rare Role of Underdog in Personal Ensign

As much as Saratoga Race Course has been known as "The Graveyard of Champions" for decades, the connections of the 6-year-old mare Letruska  are hoping the Spa will be the site of the rejuvenation of a champion this weekend.

A year ago at this time, Letruska was the sport's leading lady. The daughter of Super Saver   won the Personal Ensign Stakes Presented by Lia Infiniti (G1) at the Spa as nearly a 3-5 favorite during a stretch of five straight wins that earned her acclaim as the champion older dirt female of 2021.

Yet now, when Letruska takes aim at back-to-back Personal Ensign wins, she will probably enter the Aug. 27 matchup in the unfamiliar role as an underdog.

In a field of five that also includes Clairiere  and Malathaat , Letruska could wind up as the second or third choice in the wagering in the 1 1/8-mile stakes, marking the first time in nine starts that she will not be the favorite.

"Sometimes we remember the last performance, but she is a sound horse and with her record and all her wins, you should not forget about her," trainer Fausto Gutierrez said about the St. George Stable homebred. "She deserves to be a main contender in any race she runs in."

As much as the daughter of the Successful Appeal mare Magic Appeal has won 19 of her 26 starts, on those rare occasions when she has not been at her best, it can get ugly. In four of those seven defeats, she lost by at least 14 lengths.

That happened in last year's Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) when she chased a :44.97 opening half-mile and faded to 10th, 32 lengths behind.

After wins in the Royal Delta Stakes (G3) and Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) to open the year, another fast pace brought out the Bad Letruska in her most recent start. This time she led through fractions of :22.75 in the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) and eventually faded to fifth, 35 3/4 lengths behind Clairiere, who prevailed by a head over Malathaat.

"All horses have a disappointing try in them," Gutierrez said about the Phipps. "There was a big pace and she had the rail and the fractions were too fast. She was not the same Letruska that day. One day she was a champion, and one day you are not at your best. It is like a great pitcher who gets knocked out of the baseball game in the second inning. It happens. It's part of the game."

Since then, Gutierrez has been pleased with Letruska's training and expect to see the Good Letruska over a racetrack where she was a graded stakes winner the last two years.

"She arrived in Saratoga in good form. She is strong and ready to repeat her victory in the Personal Ensign," said Gutierrez, whose mare has logged bullets in four of her last six works. "She will have no problem with Saratoga after what we saw last year and in 2020 (when she won the Shuvee Stakes, G3)."

Letruska will need to be at her best in a small but select field.

"It's not the quantity of the field that matters, but the quality," Gutierrez said.

Since the June 11 Phipps, Stonestreet Stables' homebred Clairiere has risen to the top of the division. The daughter of Curlin   out of Cavorting, a multiple grade 1 winner, has realized the exciting potential she hinted at last year when she won the Cotillion Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds and finished a close fourth in the Distaff. After finishing second by 1 1/4 lengths to Letruska in the Apple Blossom, she reeled off her win for trainer Steve Asmussen in the Phipps, followed by a 1 1/2-length victory in the Shuvee (G2) over Malathaat, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2021.

"Last year we thought we could get it done with her and came up a little bit short," said Asmussen, who noted how Clairiere has developed physically since last year. "But she has stepped through the door beautifully this year and we couldn't be happier with her last two races. We expect her to finish the year off extremely well."

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat won the Alabama Stakes (G1) at the Spa a year ago to cement her 3-year-old title and the daughter of Curlin, bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, will try to get back on the winning track over a surface where she has compiled a win and two seconds in three tries.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the $2 million earner sold for $1,050,000 from the Denali Stud consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

The field also includes Klaravich Stables' Search Results , a daughter of Flatter   who won the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3) for trainer Chad Brown after pressing the pace in the Phipps and finishing third, and Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Crazy Beautiful , a Liam's Map   4-year-old trained by Ken McPeek who was third in the Shuvee.

Entries: Personal Ensign S. (G1)

Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 27, 2022, Race 9

• Grade I
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $600,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:32 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Letruska (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Fausto Gutierrez	3/1
2	2Search Results (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Chad C. Brown	7/2
3	3Clairiere (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	Steven M. Asmussen	6/5
4	4Crazy Beautiful (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	15/1
5	5Malathaat (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Todd A. Pletcher	5/2