Maggie Go and Edict Chase Glory in Saratoga's Ballston Spa Stakes

The Argentine mares face a tough challenge this Friday, going 8.5 furlongs over the turf

Maggie Go made a smashing U.S. debut./ JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Two Argentine-bred mares with accomplished résumés will look to make their mark Friday in one of the marquee turf events for older fillies and mares at Saratoga. Maggie Go and Edict are set to contest the GII Ballston Spa S., a $300,000 event over 1 1/16 miles, where a deep and talented field awaits.

Though their paths to this race have been different, they share both a common origin and a shared goal: to establish themselves at the highest level in North America. For Maggie Go, this will be her second attempt at this level since joining Chad Brown’s powerhouse barn, while Edict, already with some respectable black-type efforts under her belt, will look to bounce back after contesting the slower division of the De La Rose S., where she faced several of the same rivals she'll meet again here.

Maggie Go, a daughter of Winning Prize (Arg) who made headlines at San Isidro with a G2 win in the Clásico Eliseo Ramírez and a pair of G1 placings, made an excellent U.S. debut when runner-up in the GIII Eatontown S. at Monmouth Park. She finished two lengths behind Whiskey Decision (Into Mischief), who also returns for this race. Brown, already an eight-time winner of the Ballston Spa, will again entrust Flavien Prat, who has the return call from post 6.

Edict, a dual G1 winner in Argentina thanks to victories in the Gran Premio Enrique Acebal and Copa de Plata, joined David Donk’s barn upon her arrival to the States. The Il Campione (Chi) filly has shown flashes of her top form in listed company and comes off a solid sixth-place effort in the July 10 edition of the De La Rose, beaten by Deep Satin(American Pharoah), whom she will face again. Hall of Famer John Velazquez takes over the reins from post 4.

The field features 12 entries, headlined by the two winners of the De La Rose’s split divisions. Deep Satin, trained by Cherie DeVaux, comes in sharp after holding off In Our Time (Not This Time) by a neck in 1:35.49 for the mile. Owned by the partnership of John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services, she’ll look for her first graded score with Jose Ortiz aboard from post 9.

The other division winner, Ozara (Ire) (Lope de Vega), conditioned by Christophe Clement, was even faster on the clock, stopping it in 1:34.25. The consistent Irish-bred owns six wins from 12 starts, along with three graded placings and a third-place finish in the Eatontown behind Whiskey Decision and Maggie Go. Dylan Davis retains the mount.

Whiskey Decision, another threat from the Brown barn, made a strong impression in her debut for her new connections, taking the Eatontown (GIII) convincingly and signaling a return to form. A stakes winner at three, she has the back class to factor once more.

Also entered is Be Your Best, who captured the GI Gamely S. earlier this year at Santa Anita, though she is cross-entered in Saturday’s GII Beverly D. S. at Colonial Downs. Should she opt to run here, her Grade I credentials would make her a major player. Another to note is No Mo Candy (Uncle Mo), winner of the GIII Pebbles S. last fall, though her 2025 form has yet to match her previous efforts.

Rounding out the field are multiple stakes winner Ocean Club (Curlin), shipping in from California, and Freedom Speaks (American Freedom), who owns black-type credentials as well. Also on the list, but only entered in the event of a surface switch to dirt, are Bernietakescharge (Take Charge Indy), Amanda’s Folly (Mendelssohn), and Just Music(Audible).

The Ballston Spa S. has only once been won by a South American-bred—Chile’s Dacita (Scat Daddy) in 2015—but with Maggie Go and Edict in the gate, the South American contingent has a real chance to reassert its presence at the top of American turf racing. For both mares, this could be the race that opens the door to even bigger dreams.