2021 Lake Placid Stakes Contenders at Saratoga

Chad Brown's Technical Analysis Headlines G2 Lake Placid

Technical Analysis (Klaravich Stables) took a step up last time with her first career stake win and will look to go 2-for-2 this summer at Saratoga Race Course in headlining a six-horse field of sophomore fillies in the Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf course at the Spa on Saturday, August 21.

The 38th running of the Lake Placid, carded as Race 9, is one of three stakes on the 11-race card that features a 1:05 p.m. Eastern first post. The $120,000 Smart N Fancy for older fillies and mares sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon turf will go off as Race 3, while the 141st running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/4 miles on the main track will take center stage in Race 10.

In the Lake Placid, Technical Analysis will look to duplicate her effort from the Grade 3 Lake George on July 23 over the Saratoga inner turf, where she tracked in third position before kicking away from Fluffy Socks to win by 1 1/4 lengths in a one-mile contest. The Chad Brown trainee has compiled a 3-0-1 record in five starts but did not face stakes competition until her sixth-place effort in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 3 at Belmont Park.

After winning at a mile, the Irish-bred daughter of Kingman will be stretched back out, drawing post 2 with Jose Ortiz aboard for the fifth straight start.

"We're going in there getting her back to a mile and a sixteenth. She seems to be doing well," Brown said. "We've always thought a lot of her."

Spanish Loveaffair faced top-flight competition last out, running last-of-8 in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in the opening leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series on July 10. Entering off a two-month respite, the daughter of Karakonite has alternated between solid stakes efforts and disappointing finishes in her four 2021 starts, which started when she crossed the wire first in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride in February at Gulfstream Park but was disqualified and placed fourth for interference.

After a bump near the start caused a sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Appalachian in April at Keeneland, Spanish Loveaffair again encountered trip troubles in the Grade 3 Regret but overcame it to run second, just three-quarters of a length back to Gam's Mission, on May 29 at Churchill before her Belmont Oaks performance.

Spanish Loveaffair, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Hernon and Barber, is trained by newly inducted Hall of Famer Mark Casse. Ricardo Santana, Jr. will be in the irons from the outermost post 6.

Runaway Rumour, Lawrence Goichman's New York-homebred, won her first three starts for trainer Jorge Abreu, including an off-the-pace half-length victory in the Wild Applause in June at Belmont Park going one mile. After running fourth in the Lake George in her first run over the Saratoga grass, the Flintshire filly will return to the Spa, where she has worked since June, including a four-furlong work on the Oklahoma training track on August 7 in 50.83 seconds.

Runaway Rumour drew post 4 with Jose Lezcano set to ride.

Reiko and Michael Baum's Illiogami stepped up to stakes company for the first time in her last start when running fifth in the Grade 2 Mother Goose on June 26 at Belmont. The Tapit filly, a $400,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, made her first two starts on turf before trainer Rusty Arnold moved her to the main track for her last four races, starting with a runner-up performance in November at Churchill to cap her juvenile campaign.

Back-to-back wins in April at Keeneland and Churchill, respectively, prompted the class elevation in the Mother Goose. Now, Illiogami will make her first turf start in nine months, drawing the inside post with Manny Franco aboard.

"She's doing well; she didn't run that well in the Mother Goose, which was a disappointment, but her first two races started off good," Arnold said. "We're hoping it's a case where she just didn't handle the dirt. We got her here in Saratoga but we weren't ready for the first opportunity, and this one just set up a little bit better. We really didn't have a break based on any intentions, it's just the way it worked out.

"She's been good since she's been here," Arnold added.

Rebecca Hillen's Ego Trip ran second in her first North American start, finishing one length back to Rastafara in a one-mile maiden special weight on July 24 at Saratoga. The Irish-bred daughter of No Nay Never made her first start in March, also finishing as the runner-up at Newcastle for trainer Kevin Ryan, before being transferred to Brendan Walsh's care when arriving in the United States.

Ego Trip will have Tyler Gaffalione in the irons from post 3.

Godolphin homebred Lovestruck, winner of the Tepin in November at Aqueduct Racetrack for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, will be making just the second start of her campaign after finishing eighth in the Wild Applause.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will have the call from post 5.

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