Dead Heat in the Schuylerville

Photo: Eclipse Sportswire - Bob Mayberger
Schuylerville, NY is famous as the sight of the Battle of Saratoga in the Revolutionary War. Today in Saratoga Springs, the Battle of Saratoga was reenacted, but his time with two year-old fillies going six furlongs on the main track at Saratoga Race Course.
 
A field of seven juvenile fillies went in the gate for the 95th running of the Schuylerville (G3) and when the horses came down the stretch, Brazen Persuasion and Bahnah were left to battle to the wire. In the final 100 yards, heads were bobbing, with Brazen Persuasion on the inside and Bahnah on the outside. After a long photo finish and many replay viewings of the stretch duel, the race was declared a dead heat.
 
Bahnah was sent off the 1.20-1 favorite and Brazen Persuasion the second choice at 2.20-1.
 
In the first quarter mile Brazen Persuasion took the lead on the inside and was joined by Yes Liz, as the two went :21.75. The fillies went into the turn and Bahnah joined the battle. After going a half mile in :44.68, Yes Liz began to fade and Brazen Persuasion dug in to fight it out with Bahnah. The pair hit the wire together in 1:12.12.
 
Bahnah was a $210,000 purchase at the OBS March sale of two year-olds and broke her maiden at Churchill Downs very impressively while earning a 91 Beyer Speed Figure. Trainer Bret Calhoun got his first career win at Saratoga with the victory in the Schulylerville.
 
Calhoun described the race, “It was a heck of a duel. Steve’s [trainer Asmussen’s] horse was taking a lot of pressure up there. I thought at one point, when I inched up to her that I would get on by. Right at the wire I thought I might have gotten to her. I watched the replay over and over and thought, ‘This might be a heater.’ This is definitely the right way to break my maiden at Saratoga.”
 
The win with Brazen Persausion gave trainer Steve Asmussen his third Schuylerville, having previously won the race with Hot Dixie Chick 2009 and Jardin in 2008.
 
Asmussen gave his version of the battle, “She broke sharp, was away real cleanly, the entry tackled her immediately. Coming into the stretch I thought she got a little separation. We saw the other filly coming, but they fought to the wire. They were opposite on the nods. It was, ‘no, yes, no, yes, no, yes.’ I did think she got beat on the wire watching the replay, and then when they threw the number up, they go 4-5 in order, you think she won. And then they throw the dead heat, so we’ll take all of it.” 

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