Nest Set to Return to the Races

The eagerly anticipated return of champion filly Nest  is here.

The 3-year-old champion of 2022 will make her first start in eight months when she runs in the $200,000 Shuvee (G2) at Saratoga Race Course on July 23. She was last seen finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Keeneland Race Track last November.

The daughter of Curlin  , owned by Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, had her final tuneup for the Shuvee with a four furlong breeze in a time of 50 seconds July 16 on the Oklahoma Training Track.

Ridden by exercise rider Nora McCormack, Nest was full of energy as she worked with a maiden runner from the Pletcher barn.

"It was pretty much what we expected from her," Pletcher said after the work. 

The work was originally scheduled for the main track but, once again, Pletcher had to call an audible. Heavy early morning rains had the Hall of Fame trainer monitoring the weather radar and he finally decided the best plan of action was to be on the Oklahoma.

"It's Saratoga and you sort of get used to it," Pletcher said. "It seems like every day you have to call an audible."

Pletcher said he thought there would be a break in the weather around 7 a.m. and he talked to Glen Kozak, the executive vice president of Operations a couple of times. 

"I asked him what his intentions were and he said he would try to harrow (Oklahoma) if it was good," he said. "I called him after the first break and told him I thought he would be happy with the way the track looks."

And Nest had a decent surface to do her work and now all systems are go to the Shuvee, where she will meet Stonestreet Stables LLC's Clairiere , winner of her last two starts, the Apple Blossom (G1) on April 15 at Oaklawn Park and the Ogden Phipps (G1) June 10 at Belmont Park.