Sun, Turf, and Chocolat
– The sun is out in Saratoga today and the G2 Lake George will be on the turf, as scheduled. My Princess Jess is the 8-5 morning line favorite making her second start for trainer Barclay Tagg and entering off a win in the G3 Boiling Springs at Monmouth last month, but second choice Mousse Au Chocolat, making her first North American start, is a far more compelling and classy contender, returning from a strong second place finish to Modern Look (who chased a quick pace and finished fourth behind undefeated Zakarva in the French Guineas) in the G2 Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly; in the start before that, she finished 2 3/4 lengths behind Zakarva, one of the early Arc favorites, in a G3 at Longchamp. Note as well that her last win came over a soft course, which is the listed condition of the Saratoga grass after two days of rain, and that French rider Christophe Lemaire comes along for the trip.
– Odds and ends: Demoiselle winner Mushka returns in the third, her first start since November … Richard Migliore, who decided early in July to return to New York, was on the backstretch this morning in safety vest and helmet, looked reading to hop on a horse at moment’s notice while chatting with a gaggle of reporters near the Morning Line. The rider isn’t named on any mounts through Saturday, but he was in the right place to hustle for assignments … Steve Asmussen is 6-4-0-1 through the first two days of the meet. The trainer has two entered today, in the second and the sixth … Dagnabit and Notonthesamepage, scratched from the Sanford Stakes on Thursday, are both entered in the ungraded Tyro Stakes at Monmouth on Saturday … Thanks for Self Appointed Fan Committee mention, Nick.
