Consistent Lottie Seeks First Stakes Victory in Waya

Jack Swain III's multiple graded-stakes placed Lottie will go after her first stakes win in the $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 12, a little more than a year after she finished second in the race.

The Waya, for fillies and mares 3 and older at 1 1/2 miles on the inner turf course, was originally scheduled for Aug. 4 but was postponed when severe thunderstorms hit Saratoga that day. Lottie will break from the rail in the redrawn field of eight.

"I like that they redrew the race, because we went from the 8 to the 1, which helps her, I think," said trainer Graham Motion. "I think she's better the longer she goes. She ran so well up here last year in the same race. It was a very good effort that day."

Lottie closed to finish second by a half-length to Estrechada in the 2017 Waya, which was her graded stakes debut. The daughter of Arch returned to the Spa turf to run fifth in the Glens Falls Stakes (G3T), then closed her campaign with a third in the Rood & Riddle Dowager Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland and fifth against males in Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar.

Motion didn't bring Lottie back until May 5 in the Sheepshead Bay Stakes (G2T) at Belmont Park, where she raced in a stalking position all the way around and finished second, a half-length behind winner Holy Helena.

A fluke injury kept Lottie away from the races since then, but she's had a steady string of works for her return, both at Motion's Fair Hill Training Center base as well as a five-furlong breeze in 1:04.09 over Saratoga's Oklahoma training turf Aug. 6.

"I thought she ran really well last time. Actually I was surprised, because I was questioning whether she was fit enough coming off the layoff," Motion said. "Unfortunately she came back and cut herself in the paddock, and she must have done it with her other leg, right on the pastern. We had to put stitches in, and that's why it's taken so long to get her back to the races. One of the risks of turning horses out, I guess."

Santa Monica is one of two horses trained by Chad Brown in the Waya field, along with Homeland Security. Santa Monica won the Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T) June 30 at Woodbine going 10 furlongs, while Homeland Security is coming off a one-length victory in the 1 1/2-mile River Memories Stakes July 8 at Belmont.

"This is a very competitive race. (Santa Monica) makes it very competitive coming off winning a grade 2 and now she's running in a grade 3," Motion said. "But if (Lottie) runs back to her form and back to last year's race, she's very solid."

Entries: Fasig-Tipton Waya S. (G3T)

Saratoga Race Course, Sunday, August 12, 2018, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/2m
• Inner turf
• $200,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Lottie (KY)	Edgar S. Prado	116	H. Graham Motion	9/2
2	2Savannah Belle (KY)	Luis Saez	116	Brian A. Lynch	20/1
3	3Santa Monica (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Chad C. Brown	8/5
4	4Homeland Security (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Chad C. Brown	5/1
5	5Mom's On Strike (FL)	Adam Beschizza	124	Joe Sharp	3/1
6	6Tricky Escape (KY)	Christopher P. DeCarlo	124	Lynn A. Ashby	12/1
7	7Queen of Connaught (GB)	Javier Castellano	113	Michael L. W. Bell	15/1
8	8Summersault (NY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Mark A. Hennig	8/1