Thriving on the Saratoga Race Course lawn, Proctor's Ledge circled her rivals and unleashed a solid turn of foot to win the $300,000 Lake Placid Stakes (G2T) by three-quarters of a length Aug. 19. Video: Lake Placid S. (G2T)
The win was the second consecutive graded stakes win for Patricia Moseley's homebred Ghostzapper filly at the Spa, as she also took last month's Lake George Stakes (G3T), her first graded stakes victory.
"She's something else, to beat fillies like that so impressively," said winning trainer Brendan Walsh. "She's been threatening all the time to do this and getting better and better. It's just fantastic and great for everybody involved—super owners, my guys working with her. It's just brilliant."
In Saturday's 1 1/8-mile turf test, Coasted out-hustled the field of five 3-year-old fillies to take the lead going into the first turn. Party Boat remained a close second, as La Coronel raced in third and Proctor's Ledge, with Javier Castellano up, galloped along easily in fourth, with the post-time favorite Uni at the rear.
Coasted led the field through easy fractions of :24.39, :50.03, and 1:14.11 through six furlongs. Around the far turn, La Coronel and Proctor's Ledge both attempted to circle the frontrunners, a move that pushed Proctor's Ledge five wide. The field was fanned out five wide at the head of the stretch in a charge to the wire.
Finding another gear, Proctor's Ledge streaked past her competition and completed the race in a final time of 1:47.74 over a turf course rated good. Uni, also sent wide coming out of the turn, closed for second and Party Boat was another 1 1/2 lengths back in third. La Coronel finished fourth, followed by Coasted.
"She's a come-from-behind horse. The way she did it was very impressive," Castellano said. "She was nice, easy, and relaxed.
"I love the way she runs. No matter where you put her, she'll always show up."
As for what is next for the filly, Walsh said he is unsure about a Breeders' Cup try.
"I don't know about the Breeders' Cup, but you have to think about a race like the (Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane's End (G1T) at Keeneland Oct. 14) next for her," the trainer said.
The winner returned $6.40, $3.30, and $2.50 across the board as the second betting choice.
Proctor's Ledge made a similar move in the 1 1/16-mile Lake George, when she raced in fifth early before she edged away to win by 1 3/4 lengths. She started out 2017 with two wins and then jumped into graded stakes company in April, when she finished third, 3 1/4 lengths behind Lake Placid challenger La Coronel, in the Appalachian Stakes presented by Japan Racing Association (G3T).
ANGST: Proctor's Ledge Makes Splash in Lake George
She again finished behind La Coronel when she came in fourth in the Edgewood Stakes Presented by Forcht Bank (G3T) in May at Churchill Downs after fanning out wide, and then finished second in the Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs before her Lake George run.
Bred in Kentucky by her owner out of the stakes-placed Arch mare Archstone, Proctor's Ledge has four wins from eight starts with earnings of $361,083.
