Surprisingly vs. Four Brown Trainees in Ballston Spa

Long successful with grass females and having a deep and talented stable of such Thoroughbreds, trainer Chad Brown has racked up a record seven victories in the Ballston Spa Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course, all since 2012.

That tally seems likely to rise to eight Aug. 22 when Brown runs four of the five turf entrants in the $300,000 Ballston Spa, a 1 1/16-mile turf race. With dry weather forecast for Thursday, the race will likely remain on the grass and result in the scratches of main-track-only entrants Hoosier Philly , Movie Moxy , and Amanda's Folly .

That would leave only the Todd Pletcher-trained Surprisingly  to test the Brown quartet of Beaute Cachee , Coppice , Delahaye , and Gina Romantica . Surprisingly has already run behind two of those rivals this summer, finishing fourth behind 1-3 finishers Beaute Cachee and Delahaye in the Matchmaker Stakes (G3T) at Monmouth Park when they last raced July 20.

Brown's remaining pair, Peter Brant's Gina Romantica and Juddmonte's Coppice, ran third and fifth, respectively, in the July 13 Diana Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga. They lost to another Brown female turf runner: Whitebeam .

Beaute Cachee to Dare Field to Catch

Seemingly without rivals to challenge her early, Louis Lazzinnaro, Madaket Stables, Michael J. Caruso, and Michael Dubb's dual graded stakes winner Beaute Cachee may hold a pace advantage. She won the Matchmaker in front-running fashion and also upset the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland on the lead for Frankie Dettori, who returns aboard the 5-year-old Literato  mare.

"She's shown a new dimension this year with her speed," Brown noted.

William Lawrence and Three Chimneys Farm's Delahaye (Medaglia d'Oro  ), a length behind her in the Matchmaker after stalking the pace, figures to be close early, along with Gina Romantica. Tyler Gaffalione picks up the ride on Delahaye while Flavien Prat pilots Gina Romantica, on whom he won the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T).

BRown's Diana Class Droppers

Brown said of Gina Romantica, a 5-year-old Into Mischief   mare: "I was very pleased with her Diana effort. She seems to be running back into form. Looking at her last couple of years of racing, it seems like she may be a second-half-of-the-year type of filly, and this is the time of year she's at her best."

Irad Oritz Jr. rides Coppice for the first time after Dettori was aboard for her first three starts since being placed into Brown's stable. The stakes-winning 4-year-old daughter of Kingman   won four of eight earlier starts in the United Kingdom.

"She's training really well. Her first start in the country was outstanding—she narrowly lost to an eventual grade 1 winner in Chili Flag," Brown said of the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day. "The last couple of races have been a little frustrating—not the greatest of trips, not terrible, but maybe not the setups she wants."

Repole, Pletcher Attempt Upset with Surprisingly

Surprisingly, winless since February 2023 when she scored at the grade 3 level, managed a pair of quality second-place finishes earlier in the year when racing in the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T) and in the Orchid Stakes (G3T), both at Gulfstream Park. The Repole Stable-owned runner has been off the board in her last three outings. Jose Ortiz rides the Pletcher-trained 5-year-old daughter of Mastery .