What the 46th running of the $200,000 Shuvee Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course July 24 came down to was this: One horse had a good day, another did not.
That's the skinny on what happened to the betting favorites in the 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares aged 4 and up.
Clairiere, owned by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables and the 3-2 second choice, had things go her way. Malathaat, the 3-5 favorite owned by Shadwell Stable, was not as fortunate.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Clairiere, a daughter of Curlin , won the race by 1 1/2 lengths over Malathaat on a track labeled fast.
"This is more proof of who she is," Asmussen said after Clairiere won for the sixth time in 14 starts and boosted her earnings to $1,909,522. "She's just a very fast mare right now."
This was the second straight race that Clairiere beat Malathaat. On Belmont Stakes Day at Belmont Park June 11, she edged past Malathaat by a head.
Last year, when they were 3-year-olds, the two fillies faced each other four times, with Malathaat finishing in front of Clairiere each time. This is a rivalry that could continue as both could face off in the $600,000 Personal Ensign (G1) on Aug. 27.
While Clairiere was having a solid afternoon, Malathaat struggled. Last year's Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old filly did not have it.
Her trainer, Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, had a feeling something was amiss when Malathaat, also a daughter of Curlin, came into the paddock to be saddled.
"I was very concerned," Pletcher said after conferring with jockey John Velazquez in the clubhouse. "When she came in, she was super quiet. I don't know if she reacted adversely to the heat (the temperature was 92 at Shuvee post time). Normally, she is a very classy mare. She was dull and she seemed to stay dull in the post parade. A very dull performance all the way around."
Still, Malathaat, adding blinkers for the first time, gave Clairiere a game. The classy fillies seemed destined for an epic Saratoga stretch duel when Exotic West and then Crazy Beautiful backed up after setting pokey fractions (:24.75 for the first quarter, :49.45 for the half).
Clairiere was given a crafty ride by Joel Rosario, who won the race after he had to steady sharply at the top of the stretch. Rosario was looking for a way through and had to decide whether to go to the inside or the outside.
When Exotic West began to tire, she came off the rail, leaving a spot for Clairiere.
"She was there for me," Rosario said. "I was looking to see where to go and it looked like it opened up inside and I just had to go with it. She did great."
From there, Clairiere did the rest. She took the lead inside of Crazy Beautiful and Malathaat and drew away for the win.
Clairiere ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.96 and paid $5. Crazy Beautiful was 1 3/4 lengths behind Malathaat, and Exotic West trailed.
"Moderate fractions," Asmussen said. "They came home in good time."
