Saratoga: Didia, Chili Flag, Future Is Now win Friday stakes

Merriebelle Stable and Resolute Racing’s Didia scored an elusive American Grade 1 victory with a sparkling 1 1/2-length triumph in Friday’s Grade 1, $750,000 New York, a 1 3/16-mile turf test for older fillies and mares, at the Belmont Stakes Racing festival at Saratoga.

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Trained by Ignacio Correas IV, Didia is a dual Group 1 winner in her native Argentina, but lacked a win at that level in the states after three attempts, including a second to the Chad Brown-trained Marketsegmentation in this event last year. That all changed Friday with a stalking trip engineered by Jose Ortiz, who guided the 6-year-old Orpen bay from off the pace to pounce on the pace set by Royalty Interest and draw off down the lane.

Correas expressed his satisfaction that his long-term plan for Didia came to fruition in a race that included two entrants for Brown.

“She was like a monster. It’s a great feeling,” Correas said. “I targeted this race for months and months. It was really hard for me to lose this race last year. I never expected to lose it last year. I was disappointed. Probably the secret today was that Chad only had two in there. Usually he has four.”

Ortiz held his position comfortably in tandem with Sparkle Blue to their outside before stepping on the gas on the inside and inching up alongside Fev Rover in third position. A stalking Neecie Marie followed their run, gliding up a narrow opening on the rail to loom a threat to the pacesetter’s dwindling lead through three-quarters in 1:11.92.

Multiple Grade 1-winner War Like Goddess made a late move in the stretch to duck inside the fading Surprisingly and land show honors 1 3/4 lengths back of Neecie Marie. Surprisingly held on to round out the superfecta with McKulick, Fev Rover, Aspen Grove, American Sonja, Sparkle Blue, Royalty Interest, Star Fortress, English Rose and Be Your Best completing the order of finish.

For her New York victory, Didia earned $412,500 and improved her lifetime record to 17: 11-2-1 while returning $20.60 on a $2 win ticket. She was bred in Argentina by La Manija.
Buick, aboard the beaten Charlie Appleby-trained favorite English Rose, said the Frankel chestnut was hampered at the start.

“She was a bit restless in the gate and jumped a step slow,” Buick said. “I didn’t get to where I wanted to be, but I tried to get closer down the back because they weren’t going that quickly. She didn’t run her race.”

Brown wins 7th Just a Game with Chili Flag

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Michael Kisber’s Chili Flag powered down the center of the inner turf course to overtake stablemate Whitebeam in mid-stretch and go on to a half-length triumph in the 31st running of Friday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game for older fillies and mares going one mile on the inner turf, at Saratoga.

It was the fourth victory of the day for jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., and record-extending seventh in the Just a Game for trainer Chad Brown, who entered five of the seven horses in the field. Brown previously won the Just a Game with Antonoe in 2017, A Raving Beauty in 2018, Rushing Fall in 2019, Newspaperofrecord in 202, Regal Glory in 2022 and In Italian in 2023.

Chili Flag, a 5-year-old France-bred daughter of British-bred Cityscape, won for the third straight race and picked up her first career Grade 1 victory, moving over the $1 million mark in career earnings. Sent off at odds of 4-1, she returned $10.40 for a $2 win bet.

“Chili Flag ran great today. She’s got a strong kick. She’s really improved this year so it’s nice to see if you’re patient with some of these horses and you let them develop into the program [they can succeed],” Brown said. “There was a point in time last year when I thought she wouldn’t be a Grade 1-winner, but I’m not surprised at all that she’s having this type of season. During the winter she kept showing us she’s really improving.”

Evvie Jets was quickest from the gate and ran an opening quarter-mile in 23.91 seconds pressed to her outside by Whitebeam, one of three previous Grade 1 winners in the field along with Brown-trained stablemates Gina Romantica and Beaute Cachee.

Whitebeam finally wrested a short lead once straightened for home after going six furlongs in 1:12.34, but Ortiz, Jr. had moved Chili Flag into contention on the outside at the top of the stretch. Set down for a drive, Chili Flag continued to gain ground before reeling in Whitebeam approaching the wire and pulling clear from her and Mission of Joy to emerge from a three-way photo in front. The winning time was 1:35.01 over the firm course.

Ortiz and Chili Flag had to survive a claim of foul from Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, the rider of Mission of Joy, alleging interference at the top of the stretch. After a stewards’ review, the claim was not allowed.

“I had a beautiful trip. A perfect trip, to be honest. Broke, I let her settle, and she just came running late. She was rolling at the end,” Ortiz said. “That’s the way she has been running. So, I didn’t want to change her style.”

Future Is Now holds on to win Intercontinental

R. Larry Johnson’s homebred Future Is Now earned her second career stakes victory with a gritty head score in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental, a 5 1/2-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares, at the Belmont Stakes Racing festival at Saratoga.

“This filly has learned to sit off of horses and run when she’s needed,” trainer Michael Trombetta said. “It’s really changed things for her. In the last couple of races, it’s all really come together for her. This was great. I mean, this is over the top for us. We came in here with expectations just to run well. But to win it is extraordinary.”

Ridden by Paco Lopez, Future Is Now broke sharply from post 5-of-9 as Kaufymaker took advantage of a swift break under Luis Saez and hustled to the front to lead the field through an opening quarter-mile in 21.76 seconds over the firm but rain-soaked footing after a deluge fell on the course shortly before the race.

“I was concerned when I saw the weather roll in before the race,” Trombetta said. “I thought the storm would really tear up the place and be a problem. But she handled it (the course) good. The little bit of water didn’t hurt her.”

Future Is Now kept close watch in second rounding to the turn and was asked to pick it up at the top of the lane to go head-to-head with the game Kaufymaker with Roses for Debra charging down the center of the course through the half-mile in 44.24. Future Is Now stuck her head in front in the final sixteenth and had put away the resolute Kaufymaker, but was under threat from Roses for Debra to her outside.

Lopez urged with a right-handed crop in the final strides to the wire to will his charge to hold on long enough to turn back Roses for Debra by a head in a final time of 1:01.35 with Kaufymaker finishing another neck back in third.