Abel Tasman wins Personal Ensign showdown with Elate

In a rematch of last year’s Coaching Club American Oaks, this time Abel Tasman held the rail with Elate just to her outside. Again the stewards took a look, but the result was the same in the Grade 1, $700,000 Personal Ensign at Saratoga.

Abel Tasman stalked the pace early, advanced to the lead up the back stretch and never quite relented in finishing 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.19. The neck victory also survived a rider’s objection from Jose Ortiz, who was aboard Elate and argued a bump in deep stretch may have cost his mount.

"It's a great rivalry," said Abel Tasman's trainer, Bob Baffert. "We're still ahead of [Elate], but that was two great fillies there just laying it down."

Stewards also examined last year's Coaching Club America Oaks finish which saw Abel Tasman hit the wire first. This time around, "I felt the track was playing a little bit," said Abel Tasman's jockey, Mike Smith. "I liked toward the inside a little better today. I was able to get there -- get to where I wanted to be comfortable.

"They kind of came together once and twice at the end when [Ortiz] came back on me, but it was really nothing."

The Elate camp felt differently.

"You couldn't miss it," Ortiz said. "He [Smith] clearly came out and knocked my filly off balance, knocked me off balance, and beat me by a neck. I think [Abel Tasman] should have come down, 100 percent. I think [Elate] ran a great race. Both fillies did, but, c'mon. Last year he bumped me, this year he bumped me again, and I should have won both of them.

"Very disappointing," added trainer Bill Mott. "Very disappointing."

It was well back to Wow Cat in third, while Fuhriously Kissed ran fourth after Farrell and longshot She Takes Heart set the early fractions at the Spa.

Abel Tasman, a daughter of Quality Road, advanced to the lead as the half mile went in 46.62 seconds. Smith cited the decision -- jumping to the front before Elate made her move -- as a winning one.

"She's just phenomenal," Baffert said. "She's just getting better with age and she's brought us so much satisfaction. I could have easily run her at Del Mar, but I wanted to come to Saratoga. It doesn't get any bigger than this, when you can win here in front of all these people on Travers Day."

Campaigned by China Horse Club and Clearsky Farms, the reigning 3-year-old champion Abel Tasman is now 8-4-0 in 14 career starts. Another New York victory coincided with Baffert's induction to the Walk of Fame at Saratoga.