Seven to try for Lake Flacid win

It’s another beautiful weekend in Saratoga with seven top three year old fillies vying for a win over the legendary turf course. The Lake Flacid has been carded for three year old fillies and will be run over a firm mile and an eighth turf course. Albeit a small field, it is a talented one attracting grade one winners. Will it be a favorite or will the Spa hold true to its name and be the “graveyard of favorites” in this race?

Drawing the rail is first time turfer San Fran Gold by Giant’s Causeway, out of a Deputy Minister mare for the papsstable. Winner of the Black Middle Flower, San Fran Gold tries the turf after a disappointing effort last time out in the Player’s Club National Oaks. Being by Giant’s Causeway her pedigree says she can run on the turf, but a grade two race is a tough place to see what she thinks of the surface. At 7/2 you’ll know if she has a chance if she laying close to the pace, if shes much more than three lengths off the pace, she’s not liking the turf and won’t be there at the end.

Skipnhappy sends out Special Olympics, a filly by Special Week out of a Danehill mare. Winner of five races out of nine tries she comes into this race off of a very poor effort running a 23 last time out. With that type of performance I’d like to think she came back injured. Special Olympics can either lay close to the pace or even create it to win. At 12/1 she is a grade three winner at this distance, the only question is if she has bounced back from that last race in June.

Nyrangers sends out Culinary School a Street Sense daughter out of a Roberto mare. Culinary School is the winner of two races in seventeen tries and is graded placed. She is just an allowance winner facing some tough competition. Watch for her to run midpack, and probably not move much from there. At 5/1 I’m going to pass on this one, would like her more in a listed stake.

Street Lemon from the puff queen stable will break from the fourth post. A daughter of Lemon Drop Kid out of a Street Cry mare she has four wins in fifteen tries. Street Lemon comes into this race off of a grade three victory going ten furlongs. She is a deep closer and will need a good pace to run at to pull off the upset this weekend. At 7/2 with speed just to her outside she could be very competitive in this race.

Tpacer sends out likely pace setter Dark Intent, a filly by Curlin out of an A.P. Indy mare. Dark Intent has four wins in ten starts, and is on a two race winning streak. A winner at this distance in a listed last time out if would be unlikely to find her tracking another horse. At 3/1 this race lacks pace, so she’ll be the one going out there trying to wire the field.

The long shot of the field Convective will be sent out by seedly2. Convective is by Galileo out of a Danehill mare and has just one win in eleven tries. Her lone win was at five and a half furlongs tracking the pace for the win. Since then, and even before then the trainer has been running her wherever she can get in, usually over her head. Both tries at this distance have resulted in poor efforts. At 23/1 it would be a shocker to see this one in the top three.

Breaking from the outside post is the Wooden Indian winner Moldavia being sent out by trainer futurestar. A daughter of Ghostzapper out of a Kingmambo mare she won her only start on turf in a listed stake. Winner of six starts out of eleven tries she has only been off the board twice in her life. Moldavia can either sit just off the pace, or create the pace if necessary to win. At 2/1 she has proven to like the distance, to be good enough to beat boys her age, and to be versatile on both surfaces. As long as she avoids a speed duel with Dark Intent, she’s the one to beat.

That’s the field, short but sweet. A win here today could move a filly into contention for the Breeders Bowl in November. My picks are Moldavia, Dark Intent and Street Lemon. May your horses run fast and return to the stable safely.