Portfolio Duration spearheaded Chad Brown and Flavien Prat's festival at Saratoga
- Turf Diario
- 6 jun
- 3 min de lectura
The daughter of Night of Thunder captured the New York Stakes (G1) and crowned an extraordinary afternoon for the trainer and the jockey, who combined for three stakes victories during the card
SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (Special to Turf Diario).– The Acorn Stakes (G1) ended up slipping through their fingers when the favorite Always a Runner (Gun Runner) had to settle for second place behind Counting Stars (Honor A.P.), but that was far from overshadowing a brilliant day for Chad Brown and Flavien Prat, who took their revenge in a big way on the Saratoga turf.
The winningest trainer of modern times in major turf events and the French jockey built a memorable afternoon, racking up three consecutive stakes victories, with the climax arriving in the New York Stakes (G1-1900 m, turf), where Portfolio Duration displayed courage and speed to capture a victory as valuable as it was hard-fought.
Earlier, they had celebrated with Ways and Means (Practical Joke) in the Bed o' Roses Stakes (G2) and with Fitz Right (Charlantan) in the Wonder Again Stakes (G2). However, the New York, endowed with a 750,000-dollar purse, represented the main course of the program, and there Brown's pupil responded with the best performance of her career.
Representing Klaravich Stables, the powerful operation of Seth Klarman, the daughter of Night of Thunder arrived with just five starts on her record and as one of the least exposed winners in the field. She left Saratoga converted into a G1 winner and with her bank account boosted by 412,500 dollars.
The key lay in Prat's intelligence. Benefited by the inside post and the absence of natural speed in the race, Portfolio Duration took the lead from the jump and managed the fractions at will. Splits of 24s39/100, 49s21/100, 1m12s17/100, and 1m35s36/100 reflected a running style absolutely favorable to the one commanding the action.
While several of her rivals were forced to run from behind in a pace devoid of pressure, the defender of the Klaravichcolors was able to reserve energy for the decisive straight.
When it seemed that her stablemate Kathynmarissa (American Pharoah) might compromise her, Portfolio Durationaccelerated again. And when the French filly Cankoura (Persian King) closed strongly from the back, it was already too late.
With tremendous bravery, the winner resisted every attack to prevail by just a head, completing the 1900 meters in 1m52s50/100.
"We thought that by stretching out in distance she could become the speed of the race. She gave me a great performance and fought very hard," summarized Prat.
The late surge from Cankoura was impressive and came close to snatching victory in the final yards, while Kathynmarissa completed the podium to also give Brown a valuable one-three finish.
The trainer, who achieved his sixth conquest in the New York Stakes since 2016, did not hide his satisfaction with his team's performance during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
"We came into this meeting with a very strong team and we knew we had great chances. We also knew that not all races were going to turn out the way we wanted," Brown explained. "Fortunately, many of them did."
Not all of them, certainly. Among the disappointments of the race was Gezora (Almanzor), the public favorite. The European champion, making her first start here for Bill Mott after leaving Brown's barn, never found comfort, ran too keen during a large part of the journey, and flattened out quickly to finish last.
Also seemingly compromised by the pace were both Kathynmarissa and City Girl (City Light), another Brownrepresentative, forced to make up ground against a leader who never gave way.
Bred in England by Michael Wates and acquired by Klaravich Stables at the Tattersalls October 2023 sales for the equivalent of 190,371 dollars, Portfolio Duration has now elevated her record to three wins and two second-place finishes from just five outings.
And she did it on the biggest stage possible, transforming into a new star for a team that continues to set the pace for American turf racing.
