SARATOGA SPRINGS — Nest, a 3-year-old filly who came within three lengths of winning the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, in her latest time out, cruised to victory in the $500,000, Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks, Saturday’s feature race at Saratoga Race Course.
The 106th running of the race drew a field of five fillies for the 1 1/8-mile contest over a fast main track that was run in 1 minute, 51.04 seconds.
Nest was forced to take the lead when the two fillies to her inside, Butterbean and Society, both stumbled coming out of the starting gate. Society quickly recovered under jockey Tyler Gaffalione to set the pace around the clubhouse turn. Nest and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. came away from a four-horse lineup with six furlongs to run and held on to a half-length lead into and around the Union Avenue turn.
The Oaks was pretty much over as a horse race when Nest entered the home stretch with a 4 1/2-length lead. With Ortiz using his riding crop just twice to keep the filly’s mind on her task, she was a clear enough leader for the rider to start to ease her up a sixteenth of a mile out. Her official margin of victory was 12 1/4 lengths over Secret Oath.
It was another three lengths back to Nostalgic with Junior Alvarado in the saddle. Society took fourth. Butterbean never threatened after her mishap in the gate.
Nest, a daughter of Horse of the Year Curlin, has now logged five wins in eight starts. She earned $275,000 for owners Mike Repole, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House.
Most trainers would be reluctant to send a 3-year-old colt or filly back to a Grade I race in just more than five weeks after that horse ran a mile and a half in the Belmont Stakes. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said after the race, “We’ve run a lot of horses in the Belmont. We’ve never had one come out any better than she did. She’s had great energy and she’s gained weight since that race. She gave us every indication she was ready to run back.”
In the rare instance in which a filly was coming off a race in the Belmont, most trainers would wait for the $600,000, Grade I Alabama at a mile and quarter that will be run on Aug. 20. But Pletcher, who has every right to make decisions about running in the Oaks because he has trained eight of them, said, “Originally, we thought we should wait for the Alabama. But, she was just doing too good to bypass this race.”
Nest, who was even money on the morning line, was 9-10 at post time. She paid $3.90 to win and $2.10 to place. Secret Oath, the 6-5 second choice returned $2.30 to place. With only five fillies in the Oaks, the NYRA canceled show and superfecta wagering.
