Brown Continues to Dominate Lake Placid at Spa

To celebrate the 40th running of the Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course, the New York Racing Association had two members of the 1980 United States Men's Olympic Hockey team in the house.

Mark Johnson and John Harrington, decked out in 1980 replica red, white, and blue hockey sweaters, signed autographs during the day, were in the paddock before the Lake Placid and in the winner's circle after it was run.

Memories of the "Miracle on Ice," the improbable march of the Americans to the hockey gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., may have surfaced, but there would be no unbelievable result in the race named for the village in the Adirondacks.

Trainer Chad Brown, who only seems to win every grass race run at the Spa, took another one when Aspray , owned and bred by Ran Jan Racing, took command of the 1 1/16-mile race and won by a comfortable two lengths for jockey Flavien Prat.

For Brown, it was the fifth time in the last six years that he has won the race, which is for 3-year-old fillies. He saddled four of the eight starters in the race.

"All of them had an equal chance," Brown said in the winner's circle. "I would not have been surprised with any of them."

For Aspray, a daughter of Quality Road  , it was her fourth win in five starts, all of them this year. The Lake Placid was her first graded stakes win.

The only blemish she has on her resume was a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1T) at Belmont Park July 8. That race was contested at 1 1/4 miles, which is a tad out of Aspray's wheelhouse.

"I trained her a little too far last time," Brown said. "But you had to try it because it was such a prestigious race. I thought she could do it."

After that race, which saw her be defeated by 2 1/2 lengths, Prat told Brown it was too far.

"He was adamant about it," Brown said. "(He said) we should cut her back in distance to 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles and we'll be fine. He was right."

When the field headed into the stretch, Aspray, who was never farther than a length away from the leaders, moved three wide leaving the turn and was full of run. Prat stepped on the gas and his filly took off.

"I was happy and pleased where I was," Prat said. "Turning for home, I was traveling really well and when I tipped her out, she really dug in."

Aspray was the 3-1 second choice. Surge Capacity , owned by Klaravich Stables, was second at 4-1; Tax Implications , also from Klaravich, was fourth at 3-1 (the favorite); and Prerequisite , owned by First Row Partners and Team Henley, was 4-1 and finished fifth with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Soviet Express, owned by Wertheimer and Frere, ridden by Dylan Davis, and trained by Todd Pletcher, was third at 28-1, the longest price in the field.

Besides the cutback in distance, Brown thought Aspray relished the Inner Turf course, which was labeled "good."

"She didn't mind a little cut in the ground," he said. "She worked out a beautiful trip from that inside post (No. 2). Flavien really took advantage of that."

Surge Capacity and jockey Joel Rosario finished a head in front of Soviet Express, who was a neck in front of Tax Implications and Manny Franco.

"Surge Capacity had a little bit of a rough trip," Brown said. "She wasn't cooperative with Joel. He was doing the best he could in getting her to settle, but she can be that way. She probably wore herself out down the backside going on and off the bridle like she was. I thought Joel did a hell of a job to finally get her settled and still make a good race out of it."

Aspray was timed in 1:42.85 and returned $8.70.

Gloria's Princess  was sixth for trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Luis Saez, pacesetter Heavenly Sunday  and jockey Tyler Gaffalione finished seventh for Brad Cox, and Todd Pletcher's Junipermarshmallow  was last with Jose Ortiz.

Brown said the next stop for Aspray could be Keeneland's $600,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) at 1 1/8 miles. Brown won that race last year with Gina Romantica .