Uni Shines in De La Rose Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand
Uni (outside) wins the De La Rose Stakes over Precieuse at Saratoga Race Course
Apparently, not even the torrential overnight rains that decimated turf racing at Saratoga Race Course for the Aug. 4 card were a match for trainer Chad Brown.
In the lone turf race of the day at the Spa, Brown ran 1-2 as Uni and European import Precieuse dueled to the wire in deep stretch, with Uni prevailing by a head over her favored, uncoupled stablemate in the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose Stakes over a soft inner grass course.
"Both horses ran great. No surprises," Brown said. "They both were training similarly, and I was confident in both of them handling the soft ground, but Uni had a little bit more today."
The De La Rose was the only one of six scheduled turf races on the Whitney Stakes Day card that was contested on a course soaked by 2.3 inches of rain. Three races were moved to the dirt, and the two turf stakes at the end of the program were rescheduled. The $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya Stakes (G3T) was moved to Aug. 12, and the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure Stakes was shifted to Aug. 11.
The soggy conditions did not faze either of Brown's fillies, who started their careers in France and rallied from last and next to last in the field of seven.
For Uni—owned by Michael Dubb; the Head of Plains Partners operation of Sol Kumin and Jay Hanley; Robert LaPenta; and Michael Caruso's Bethlehem Stables—it was her second win in two 2018 starts and the first time in 12 starts that the 4-year-old captured back-to-back races.
"She's a special horse," Kumin said. "It looks like she's coming of age. We'll bring her back next year, and hopefully she can help take the place of the great turf (mares) we retired last year in Lady Eli and Dacita."
After starting the year with a length victory in the April 14 Plenty of Grace Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack, Uni was scheduled to run in the May 26 Gamely Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park but had to be scratched due to a bout of colic.
"The ownership group was patient with her and let me get her right again," Brown said. "She had been training well. We picked this race out three weeks ago, and we said, 'She is doing well, so let's get her back started,' and man, she ran great today."
Things did not look good for Uni at the start of the De La Rose. She was bumped coming out of the gate, and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. lost an iron momentarily. Fortunately, Ortiz quickly recovered and was only 6 1/4 lengths behind pacesetting Pas de Soucis in last after a half-mile in :50.83.
Precieuse, a daughter of Tamayuz owned by Peter Brant, was just ahead of Uni in sixth and got the jump on her stablemate when Javier Castello launched a strong, four-wide rally on the turn.
"I thought we'd move up on the soft turf, but I was afraid Peter's filly would move up more," Kumin said.
Unraced since finishing seventh in the Coronation Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot in June 2017, Precieuse forged past Pas de Soucis at the eighth pole but could not fend off the determined Uni, who rallied outside of Precieuse and was 2 1/4 lengths back in fourth with a furlong left.
"Irad got clobbered out of the gate and lost an iron, but thankfully he got it back quickly, got her covered up, and came with a big run at the end," Kumin said.
The daughter of More Than Ready out of the Dansili mare Unaided covered the mile in 1:40.09 and paid $7.20 as the co-second choice at 5-2.
Bred in Great Britain by Haras D'Etreham, Uni picked up her fifth win in 12 starts and boosted her earnings to $602,880. She made her U.S. debut in her seventh start, finishing third in the 2017 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T).
Brown said he was pleased with the effort by the 3-2 favorite, especially since it came after a layoff of more than 13 months.
"She's off a long layoff and had a right to get just a little tired at the end. She has a nice future ahead of her as well," he said.
Castellano was even more effusive.
"She was impressive. She had to go two turns, and usually European horses are (used to) running straight. This time, she had to turn and got a little confused, but I could tell in the last part of the race, she started switching leads. I'm not disappointed at all. I think she's one of the best fillies in the country. I think she's going to be real good in the long term," Castellano said.
Kumin said there are no firm plans for Uni's next start. He said the $400,000 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa (G2T) Aug. 25 at Saratoga is "a logical" choice, but A Raving Beauty, who is owned by a similar partnership, might also target that race, he added.
"We have a lot of options with her," Kumin said, "but I'm not sure if there's a Breeders' Cup race that fits her."
Pacesetting Pas de Soucis held on for third, two lengths behind Precieuse. On Leave was another three-quarters of a length behind in fourth and was followed by Lido, Bletchley, and Thundering Sky.