Saratoga: Just a Game, Intercontinental are part of Friday card

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will have five chances to win a record-extending seventh edition of the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game Stakes, a one-mile, inner-turf test for older fillies and mares at Saratoga.

Brown will saddle Grade 1 winners Gina Romantica in post 3 with Tyler Gaffalione, Beauté Cachée in post 2 with Manny Franco and Whitebeam in post 7 with Flavien Prat. Each was assigned 124 pounds. Brown also has dual graded-stakes winner Chili Flag carrying 122 pounds from post 6 with Irad Ortiz Jr. and Grade 2 placed Coppice with 118 pounds in post 4 with Frankie Dettori.

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Owner Peter Brant, who campaigned 1980 champion grass mare Just a Game, has teamed up with Brown to win the last two runnings of this event with Regal Glory in 2022 and In Italian in 2023. Brown also won the race with Antonoe in 2017, A Raving Beauty in 2018, Rushing Fall in 2019 and Newspaperofrecord in 2020.

Brant and Brown will look to complete the natural hat trick with Gina Romantica, a 5-year-old Into Mischief mare. She arrives from an uncharacteristic seventh-place finish in her seasonal debut in the Jenny Wiley (G1), which was won by stablemate and returning rival Beauté Cachée on April 13 at Keeneland.

“I was a little disappointed at Keeneland for her, but in hindsight, she might have needed the race,” Brown said. “She was kind of hemmed up a little bit inside and wasn’t happy. I’ve been keeping my eye on her to get a feel for if she’s going to have a chance to get back to her top form from last year. Her last couple of works she seems to be headed that way.”

The Just a Game is race 10 on the 12-race card Friday at Saratoga, where the Belmont Stakes will be run for the first time Saturday.

Love Reigns races for Ward in Intercontinental

Stonestreet Stables’ Love Reigns is set to make her second start off the layoff when she goes in Friday’s $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes (G2), a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares at Saratoga.

Trained by Wesley Ward, the 4-year-old U S Navy Flag bay finished second in her seasonal bow in the Giant’s Causeway (G3) to returning rival Roses for Debra, sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs for the sixth time in her seven-race career, April 21 at Keeneland.

Love Reigns has breezed back three times since the place effort, including a half-mile Friday over the Oklahoma turf-training track in 52.80 seconds.

“She ran a big race at Keeneland, and she has good spacing now, so she’s ready to roll,” Ward said.

Ward said he hopes the veteran can launch a closing trip from post 10 with jockey Joel Rosario.

“I think Rosario will be able to settle her and come with a run. She’s trained great,” Ward said.

Bred in Ireland by Patrick Grogan, Love Reigns is out of the Pivotal mare Humble And Proud and is a half-sister to multiple graded-stakes winner Glorious Empire, who won the Sword Dancer (G1) and Bowling Green (G2) in 2018 at Saratoga.

Ward also will be represented by Gregory Kaufman’s Kentucky homebred Kaufymaker, who goes from post 2 with Luis Sáez. She returns from a respite dating to an off-the-board effort in the 5 1/2-furlong Woodford (G2) in October at Keeneland.

The Intercontinental is slated as the ninth of Friday’s 12 races.