Faithful Departed Seeks Another Step Up in Quality Friday in the Saratoga Oaks
- Turf Diario
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Regret Stakes winner will pursue redemption following her runner-up effort in the Belmont Oaks, topping a competitive lineup of eight 3-year-old fillies in the G2 event over 1,900 meters on the turf
SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York.— The centerpiece of Friday's stellar card at Saratoga will feature the Saratoga Oaks Invitational Stakes (G2), a contest that since its inception has established itself as one of the summer's premier turf events for 3-year-old fillies, presenting a remarkably balanced field this year.
With eight contenders and several of the division's top rising stayer prospects, the 1,900-meter race over the Mellon Course promises another high-level spectacle, with Faithful Departed seeking to build on her peak form.
Campaigning for Frank Ferrogine, Richard Rendina, Nick Coniglio, and Greywood Farms, the daughter of Yoshida comes off a stellar performance in the Belmont Oaks (G1) on July 4 over this same course, where she finished second, beaten just 1 3/4 lengths by Kensington Lane (Starspangledbanner). That effort confirmed the notable progression she showed weeks earlier when scoring an authoritative victory in the Regret Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Grant Forster could not be more pleased with his filly's condition: "She's doing fantastic. These four weeks since the Belmont Oaks have done her a world of good, and she seems to be doing better than ever. Her energy level is super, and her work this week was probably the best breeze of her career," noted Forster, who will once again entrust the ride to José Ortiz.
Forster believes her running style plays a major role in that consistency: "She's not a horse that uses herself up laying on the pace. She sits relaxed through the early stages and only makes her big push in the final three furlongs. That keeps her fresh. On top of that, she has a great mind and a competitive determination," he explained.
However, the path to the winner's circle will be far from smooth. Chad Brown, who has maintained an absolute stronghold over the turf races at Saratoga in recent years, will launch a three-pronged assault.
Leading his trio is Fitz Right, third behind Faithful Departed in the Belmont Oaks. The daughter of Charlatanalready owns a win over this turf course, having previously captured the Wonder Again Stakes (G2), and will look to tally her fifth career victory.
"She's been the picture of consistency," Brown highlighted. "I've always thought this distance might be a touch long for her, but looking at the field, I think she has a real shot. Even if it's slightly beyond her ideal distance, the quality of the group allows us to take a shot."
Another key hope for the powerhouse trainer is Just Aloof (Justify), winner of last year's Jimmy Durante Stakes(G3) at Del Mar, who will seek redemption following a disappointing seventh-place effort in the Belmont Oaks. Brown believes a course with a bit more give could work to her advantage.
"If there's a little more give in the ground, I think she'll show marked improvement. She's been needing that, and her work over the weekend was as good as I've seen from her in a long time," he noted.
Rounding out the stable's contingent is Consensus View (Frankel), a filly bred to stay all day who faces a steep jump in class after breaking her maiden in just her second start. Despite the challenge, Brown did not hesitate to enter her.
"She's a mile-and-a-quarter filly. There aren't many opportunities for horses with that profile, and we preferred to keep moving her development forward rather than waiting around," Brown explained regarding the daughter of Frankel.
Among the other formidable rivals is Imaginationthelady (Not This Time), victor of the Edgewood Stakes (G2) and sixth in the Belmont Oaks after encountering a very troubled trip, alongside Bless Her (Twirling Candy), representing Graham Motion. The latter arrives after defeating older mares with ease at Colonial Downs as she aims to repeat the success Motion achieved in this race last year with Laurelin.
"I've always had this race in mind for her," Motion stated. "She's built for longer distances and has been progressing exactly as we hoped. She's a big, straightforward filly to handle, and I think she's coming into this at just the right time."
The entry box is completed by Code, a Tiz the Law filly trained by Todd Pletcher who comes off a third-place finish in the Wild Applause Stakes (L) and was saved specifically for this assignment, and Kentucky Belle, another daughter of Justify who returns from a nearly four-month layoff hoping to deliver on the immense potential she hinted at when winning over this distance at Keeneland.
"She's training exceptionally well, and I think the 1,900 meters is right up her alley," Brad Cox assured. "She might be missing a touch of race sharpness, but we feel this spot can serve as a great springboard toward even longer targets in the fall."
With several fillies on the rise and little separating the top contenders, the Saratoga Oaks shapes up as one of the most wide-open and intriguing contests of the meet, while providing crucial insight into the late-season 3-year-old turf division.
