Australis Princess Blossoms

A $7,500 beaten claiming race on the inner track at Aqueduct in the middle of winter is not a likely place to find a Saratoga turf monster, but that is exactly what trainer Bruce Brown had in mind January 26 when he plucked Australis Princess out of the first race that day.

Brown’s prescience was on vivid display Sunday when the 4-year-old daughter of Freud scooted off to a quick lead and went gate to wire to defeat eight other runners in a $43,000 entry-level, one-mile allowance for New York-bred fillies and mares.

Australis Princess now has scored twice at the Saratoga meet; she won a $25,000 claiming race on the turf July 27 running on the lead as well. Yesterday’s victory was her first in allowance company in 24 lifetime starts.

“She really has kind of blossomed up here, and she loves two turns,” Brown said Monday morning outside his barn office. “She ran well last year for her old trainer [Gregory DiPrima]. She had gotten down to $7,500, and we claimed her with the idea to give her the whole winter off. A lot of people with turf horses kind of just drop them down at the end of the year.”

Australis Princess has a big ownership group – Clyde Jaskinski, Epona Racing Stable, as well as the trainer and his wife, Jennie – and Brown said he had to sell a good story to justify his plans.

After the claim, he immediately turned out Australis Princess for 45 days at Mike Schrader’s In Front Training Center in Ghent , N.Y. , and then utilized its indoor training track to start getting the filly back into form.

When Australis Princess returned to the races four months later in May, she competed three times in one-turn turf miles at Belmont Park without a victory. The two-turn races at Saratoga and a change of scenery, however, have suited her perfectly.

“She really loves it up here,” Brown said. “I told one of the owners it’s not very often you claim a horse for $7,500 and win a race at Saratoga .”

Brown would like nothing more than to find another spot for Australis Princess to win one more before the Saratoga meet is over and then let her have a vacation.

“With turf horses, you want to get in as many races as you can and then give them a rest,” Brown said and then laughed. “We got our $7,500 back.”