Abel Tasman looks to leave her mark in Saratoga's Personal Ensign

Abel Tasman is a familiar name down under, as the Australian island and state of Tasmania, the Tasman Sea, the Tasman River and Mount Tasman are but a few of the landmarks named after the 17th-century Dutch explorer. Other namesakes include Tasman, a layout engine for Internet Explorer; The Able Tasmans, an indie band from Aukland; 6594 Tasman, a main belt asteroid; and, of course, China Horse Club and Clearsky Farm's filly Abel Tasman.

Last year's champion 3-year-old filly, a daughter of Quality Road and Vargas Girl, is the narrow 6-5 favorite over Elate in Saturday's Grade 1, $700,000 Personal Ensign, a "Win and You're In" race for the Breeders' Cup Distaff. She enters the 1 1/8-mile race off a resounding 7 ½-length score in the Grade 1, 1 1/16-mile Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park, her second start of the year following a fourth-place effort in the Grade 1 La Troienne on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

"I remember Mike [Smith] said [after the Ogden Phipps], 'Man, no one can beat her if you keep her like this,'" Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said. "That was very comforting, so hopefully she'll stay the same. But it's going to be tougher now. Bill [Mott] has been bragging on his filly [Elate] and that means he's got her sharp and ready to go."

The filly was named by her co-owners after Tasman National Park in New Zealand, near where Clearsky Farm founder Eamon Cleary, a native of Ireland, had many of his international business holdings.

In addition to her talent - Abel Tasman possesses a record of 7-4-0 from 13 starts with earnings of more than $2.9 million - Baffert particularly likes the filly's temperament. 

"She's so sweet, she just loves to be loved on," said Baffert, who feels much the same way about his 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, earlier this summer. "I hope when she retires they'll breed her to American Pharoah, but the foal would probably be so nice it wouldn't want to run."