Let’s just call this the $500,000 ‘Betting Chad’ Diana Stakes.
As usual, trainer Chad Brown will saddle most of the field in the Grade 1 Diana for older fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles on the turf Saturday at Saratoga.
Five horses are entered, four of them trained by Brown, who has won the Diana a record seven times, including six of the last seven.
In Italian, the 2-5 favorite who won last year’s edition, tops the Brown brigade, followed by Marketsegmentation (4-1), Whitebeam (5-1), and Fluffy Socks (8-1).
The lone non-Chad entry is 14-1 longshot Fev Rover, trained by Mark Casse.
“We point to this race every year,” the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer said. “Luckily, we’ve had a lot of great fillies over the years that have had great success in the race. This year, I think we have a really nice group of fillies as well.”
A rundown of Brown’s Diana domination:In 2022, Brown had the first four finishers in a six-horse field -- In Italian, Technical Analysis, Bleecker Street, and Rougir.
In 2020, he sent out two of the five horses, and won with Rushing Fall
In 2019, he finished 1-2-3 with Sistercharlie, Rushing Fall, and Homerique.
In 2018, Sistercharlie won as one of three Brown entries in a six-horse field
In 2017, Lady Eli won (one of his two entries); and in 2016 it was Dacita – one of four Brown entries in the 10-horse field.
Brown’s first Diana win came in 2011 with Zagora.
In Italian, looking for a fifth Grade 1 victory, will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., leaving post 2 for owner Peter Brant. The 4-year-old mare has a stellar record of 7-3-1 in 11 starts and is 2-for-2 in 2023 witch victories in the Just a Game (G1) and the Jenny Wiley (G1).
“She prefers to run right on the lead if she can get there. I think she’s able to stalk horses, too,” Brown said. “When she can create her owns trips, she’s in much better form that way.”
While the Diana doesn’t usually shape up as a great betting race, let it be known that In Italian went off at 8-1 and paid $18.80 on a $2 win ticket.
Casse is taking his chance with Fev Rover, a 5-year-old mare coming off just two weeks rest after her win in the Nassau (G2) at Woodbine.
“She's coming back a little quick, but I'm going with the old Allen Jerkens line, 'When they're going good, run ‘em,’” Casse said. “In her last race, there was a little give in the ground, so that's not going to hurt her feelings. She ran very well last year, but we feel she’s even better now.”
The picks: 1 Marketsegmentation, 2 In Italian, 3 Fluffy Socks
The field, from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Fev Rover (Javier Castellano, Mark Casse), 12-1
2 In Italian (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Chad Brown), 2-5
3 Marketsegmentation (Jose Ortiz, Chad Brown) 4-1
4 Fluffy Socks (Joel Rosario, Chad Brown), 8-1
5 Whitebeam (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown), 5-1
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
