The top three finishers in the Aug. 26 Personal Ensign Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course came out of the race in good order, their trainers said Aug. 27.
The victorious Love and Pride, owned by Green Hills Farm, was in "excellent" shape after the race, trainer Todd Pletcher told New York Racing Association officials. The 4-year-old A.P. Indy filly could resurface in the Sept. 29 Beldame Invitational (gr. I) at Belmont Park.
Trainer Bill Mott said Besilu Stables' Royal Delta, second as the heavy favorite in the Personal Ensign, checked out OK. The 4-year-old Empire Maker filly washed out just before the race.
"The horse you could say ran the biggest race of all is It's Tricky," Mott said of the third-place finisher in the Personal Ensign. "If she had run her race, maybe it would have helped our situation. As it was, it wasn't our day. We weren't good enough on the day, under the conditions, to win.
"The winner beat us on the day. We gave her 10 pounds. I guess with the 10 pounds we needed things to go perfectly."
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Godolphin Racing's It's Tricky, a 4-year-old filly by Mineshaft , suffered superficial cuts when she stumbled at the start of the Personal Ensign but was otherwise in fine shape. She also will be pointed to the Beldame.
"She kind of scraped the front of her ankles with the way she broke," McLaughlin said. "On the positive side, (jockey Eddie Castro) stayed on her. I think she earned a lot of respect running the way she did, and we will point for the Beldame."
