Chad Brown had Friday’s $500,000 Just a Game (G1) at Saratoga surrounded ahead of time as trainer of five of the seven starters. But as often happens, it was not the most fancied of his runners that proved fastest.
Chili Flag, who rated at the tail of the field for much of the one-mile grass test for fillies and mares, burst on the scene late to overtake stablemate Whitebeam to record her third stakes win of the season and first at the top level.
“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.
The Just a Game was the fourth win on the card for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who escaped serious injury Thursday after being unseated by a mount before the start of a race.
Sent off as the 4-1 third choice in the Just a Game, Chili Flag won by a half-length from Whitebeam in a time of 1:35.01 on a course listed as firm, despite a heavy shower beforehand. She paid $10.40. The five-year-old races for the partnership of Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Michael Kisber.
The two non-Brown trainees in the Just a Game field, longshots Mission of Joy and pacesetter Evvie Jets, finished third and fourth, respectively. Mission of Joy was only a head behind Whitebeam, with Evvie Jets a neck behind Mission of Joy.
The order of finish was rounded out by the Brown trio of Gina Romantica. 3-2 favorite Coppice, and Beaute Cachee.
This was the second loss in a row for the Brown-trained Coppice as the public choice. She fell a neck short of catching Chili Flag last month in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2), but was outkicked again by the winner here.
“We had that flash storm and it seems like there was a ton of water on there,” Brown said. “The turf was so hard and then it went to being – I don’t want to say firm – and a couple of my other jockeys that didn’t run as well said they were slipping and sliding out there on that turf.”
In addition to the Just a Game and Churchill Distaff Turf Mile, Chili Flag also prevailed in the Honey Fox (G3) at Gulfstream by a neck in early March, which followed a sixth in the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G2) behind Didia, who won the New York (G1) later on Friday’s Saratoga card.
Chili Flag, who has now won seven of 19 starts, also captured her U.S. stakes debut last November in the Forever Together S. at Aqueduct. That was following a 1-for-5 record in allowances following her importation.
“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,” Brown said.
Bred in France by Finanza Locale Consulting, Chili Flag is by Cityscape and out of Flag Day, a daughter of Pivotal and Group 1 winner Blue Duster.
The wire arrived just in time for Future Is Now, who edged odds-on favorite Roses for Debra by a nose in the $200,000 Intercontinental (G2) to kick off Friday’s stakes action.
Sent off at 10-1 in the field of nine fillies and mares, Future Is Now closely tracked pacesetter Kaufymaker from second, poked her head in front of that rival inside the final sixteenth, and then staved off a late surge from the 1-2 favorite.
Although possessing a stellar 4-for-6 record over the 5 1/2-furlong trip, this edition of the Intercontinental, normally run over six furlongs at Belmont Park, proved too short for Roses for Debra, who has now lost three of her last four starts dating to September.
Future Is Now, meanwhile, has now won two consecutive stakes. She preceded this victory with one on Preakness weekend at Pimlico, in The Very One S. by more than two lengths as the favorite.
“The ability to rate and sit off a hot pace and still close into it has been a new dynamic for her the last couple races. It’s moved her game up dramatically,” trainer Michael Trombetta said.
Ridden by Paco Lopez for owner-breeder Larry Johnson and trained by Michael Trombetta, Future Is Now won the Intercontinental in a time of 1:01.35 and paid $22.80.
Roses for Debra has a neck on Kaufymaker, who was 1 3/4 lengths clear of Gal in a Rush. Run for the Hills, Spicybug, Lady Milagro, Medalla Match, and Everyoneloveslinda completed the order of finish.
A Maryland-bred, Future Is Now has now won five of 11 starts. She is by Great Notion and out of the Bernardini mare Past as Prelude, who has also reared the Grade 2-placed stakes winner Call Another Play.
