Saratoga: Deep Satin, Ozara win De La Rose divisions

Deep Satin arrived in time to capture the first of two divisions of the listed De La Rose, a one-mile inner turf route restricted to older fillies and mares who have not won a graded stake in 2024-25, on Thursday’s opening-day card at Saratoga.

Ozara, trained by Miguel Clement, won the second division after catching Spinning Colors just before the wire.

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Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Deep Satin rebounded from a last-out fifth in the Grade 3 Mint Julep on June 1 at Churchill Downs as the post-time favorite. The 4-year-old daughter of American Pharoah adds to previous stakes success when dead-heating with Style Points to win the listed Virginia Oaks last year at Colonial Downs.

The first division of the De La Rose marked the first stakes of the 40-day Saratoga meet, and DeVaux said the win was a good way to get things started.

“It is definitely a big relief when you can just get a win, so you don’t feel like that’s the pressure,” DeVaux said. “It is a sense of relief. She is a well-meant filly, so it is nice to see that she put in a nice run there, and kind of ran to the way we were hoping she would.”

Ridden to victory by regular pilot Jose Ortiz, Deep Satin exited post 3 of 7 and was coaxed between rivals into third as the pair of Edict and In Our Time took off from the rest of the field before Edict was alone on the lead through the opening quarter-mile in 24.33 seconds over the firm footing.

Deep Satin was under a snug hold as she tracked in third down the backstretch with Way to Be Marie on her outside flank through the half-mile in 49.30 before In Our Time was asked to challenge Edict for command entering the far turn.

“She broke good, was following the speed just like I wanted to,” Ortiz said. “I thought the pace could have been a little hot but the other horse didn’t go, the outside horse (In Our Time). I was in a good spot from the three-eighths pole and everybody started to pick it up and I was able to just go outside of them.”

Ortiz shook the reins while angling out a path heading into the stretch to try and keep up with the top pair as they attempted to sprint clear with Les Reys unleashing her bid along the inside. The field bunched up passing the eighth pole and it appeared to be anybody’s race as Edict was finally passed by In Our Time and a host of pursuers were finding their best stride from the rear of the field.

Heredia made a late surge to the outside of Deep Satin while In Our Time refused to retreat from the lead, but Deep Satin was rolling down the center of the course and nailed the leader by a neck in a final time of 1:35.49.

“She gave me a good turn-of-foot and it was a very clean trip, saved ground on both turns. She was pretty good,” Ortiz added.

In Our Time was a neck better than Heredia with Les Reys rounding out the superfecta. Way to Be Marie, Edict and Alluring Angel completed the order of finish, while On Command and main track-only entrants Weigh the Risks and Maggy’s Palace were scratched.

DeVaux said the race went exactly how Ortiz had envisioned.

“Jose had it in his mind how it played out there,” DeVaux said. “He said there was speed to his outside, the 5 (Edict) and the 8 (In Our Time), and he was wanting to sit right behind that, not be on the lead. It materialized just how he had written it up in his head. She broke and put him in the spot, and she came through, which was great.”

DeVaux said she will carefully review a return to graded company for Deep Satin. The next local option would be the 1 1/16-mile Ballston Spa (G2) on Aug. 8.

"We just have to see how she comes out of it. She has to train forwardly for something like that, so we just have to see how she trains out of this before we put something like that on the calendar,” DeVaux said of the Ballston Spa.

Bred in Kentucky by Eurowest Bloodstock Services, Deep Satin is out of the Grade 3-winning Chester House mare Take the Ribbon, who also produced stakes-placed Take These Chains. Deep Satin banked $74,250 in victory while improving her lifetime record to 7: 3-3-0 and returning $6.70 on a $2 win ticket as the 2-1 mutuel favorite.

Photo: NYRA / Chelsea Durand

Second division

Ozara found enough late to nail pacesetter Spinning Colors in the shadow of the wire in the second division of the De La Rose.

Trained by Miguel Clement and expertly piloted by Dylan Davis, Ozara earned her second stakes win this year to go with a 1 1/2-length victory in Gulfstream Park’s Monroe in April. She entered from a game third-place effort in the Grade 3 Eatontown on June 14 at Monmouth Park, where she finished 2 1/2 lengths back of the victorious Whiskey Decision after being outkicked in the lane.

Ozara would not be outkicked again under the well-timed ride from the inside post under Davis, who placed the 4-year-old Lope de Vega bay in third position early to the inside of Movin’ On Up as the New York-bred Spinning Colors swept to the front under Hall of Famer John Velazquez to mark the opening quarter-mile in 23.74 seconds over the firm footing.

Movin’ On Up did just that approaching the turn, making a bold and wide move under Irad Ortiz, Jr. after the half-mile in 47.51 to loom large as Do Gooder split rivals and Ozara was in need of room along the inside. Movin’ On Up appeared poised to sweep right by Spinning Colors, but the pacesetter dug in gamely as those two brushed together after three-quarters in 1:11.35.

Davis had the perfect path open up with the top pair coming together, and made the quick decision to angle his charge around them, giving Ozara clear running room as Movin’ On Up and Spinning Colors slugged it out inside the eighth pole.

Spinning Colors successfully thwarted the bid of Movin’ On Up, but there was no denying the momentum of Ozara as she edged clear to the half-length score in a final time of 1:34.25.

Movin’ On Up was a neck better than the late-running Fun With Flags with Poca Mucha, Charlottesapproval and Do Gooder completing the order of finish. Storm Miami and main track-only entrants Bernietakescharge, Zadorsky and Prides Crossing were scratched.

“She’s great. She is very consistent,” Clement said of the now six-time winning Ozara. “She’s got tactical speed, a great turn of foot.”

Clement praised the ride from Davis, who was back aboard after riding the filly early in her career.

“I thought Dylan gave her a brilliant ride, saving every inch of ground,” Clement said. “The turf course is very speed-favoring still. I think being forwardly placed made the difference today.

“I said, ‘you have a great draw, break well, try to get position and ride the rail as long as you can.’ And he did a brilliant job,” Clement added. “It was as picture perfect of a textbook ride that you could do, I thought in my opinion, at least. She’s a good filly."

Davis said he chose to use the inside post to his advantage.

“She broke great. Being in the one-hole is a tough position to be in, but the one to break forward in and get in a good spot,” Davis explained. “She got in a good rhythm into the backside and just tracking Johnny. I thought (Velazquez) had a little bit of horse to work with and Irad (Ortiz Jr.) made his move around the bend and caused Johnny to get going. It created a gap for me to get outside and Ozara was there for me, she responded greatly and was able to switch over to the right lead and she responded enough just to get it done.”

The win was meaningful to Davis, who said he was excited to kick off the Saratoga meet with a stakes win on opening day.

“Incredible. I know we were here a few times already but day one today and happy to be here and get the first winner right off the duck,” Davis said. “I enjoy every moment every day here. … . Any win is special up here. A stake race is a more special race, and (I'm) happy to get my maiden win off that. Let's continue on and see what the Saratoga meet has to offer.”

Bred in Ireland by Fleche D’Or Partnership, Ozara is out of the winning Acclamation mare Cercle d’Or and was a $416,346 purchase from Book 1 of the 2022 Tattersalls October yearling sale. She banked $74,250 in victory while returning $10.20 on a $2 win ticket.