Ancient Secret Scores in Lake George
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren KIng
Ancient Secret wins the 2016 Lake George Stakes.
Alpha Delta Stables' Ancient Secret took another step up in class and remained undefeated July 22 at Saratoga Race Course in the $200,000 Lake George Stakes (gr. IIT).
The 3-year-old Kantharos filly now has four wins from four starts and faced a boost in class each time. She broke her maiden in a six-furlong turf sprint at Belmont Park in October, took an allowance going seven furlongs on the grass at Belmont in May, won the Wild Applause in her stakes debut in Elmont June 19, and aced her first two-turn test Friday in the Lake George, finishing 1 1/4 lengths clear of Chad Brown stablemate Elysea's World.
"She's a remarkable horse," Brown said. "She always trained like a really quality animal, we just gave her little incremental goals, and she's hit them all. I wasn't quite sure about the two turns. I know she's a top-class horse, but I was curious to see what she was going to do when the gates opened and she passed the test."
The New York-bred filly stalked the early leaders, racing in fourth, moved three wide in the final turn to get to even terms on the front end entering the stretch, and outkicked the field heading for home.
Sky My Sky set the pace, clicking off fractions of :24.15, :48.03, and 1:11.03 through six furlongs, before Ancient Secret took over to run a mile in 1:34.37 and finish off the 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.35 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
Elysea's World closed from sixth to finish second, a length ahead of closing longshot Outsider Art.
"I thought she ran terrific—probably didn't love being inside there late in the race," Brown said of Elysea's World. "Both fillies will go back in a graded stakes somewhere."
The winner paid $6.40, $3.90, and $3.10 across the board. Elysea's World brought $3.80 and $2.70, and Outsider Art delivered $4.90 to show.
Sky My Sky tired to come in fourth, followed by Thundering Sky, Gone Away, Baciami Piccola, and Diamond Fields, to complete the order of finish.
Bred by Lambholm, out of the Notebook mare Privacy, Ancient Secret now has $259,200 in earnings.