Klaravich Stables’ Idea Generation relished the give in turf and unopposed early lead in Saturday’s $500,000 Flower Bowl (G2) at Saratoga, dominating throughout to surprise onlookers as the 31-1 longest shot among seven females. The four-year-old filly stamped her ticket to November’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) at Del Mar upsetting the “Win and You’re In” event.
Multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire War Like Goddess, winner of the 2021 Flower Bowl (G1) and runner-up in 2022, had to settle for second as the 13-10 favorite after rallying belatedly, closing the gap to 1 1/2 lengths on the wire. Idea Generation led by about six lengths through opening splits in :26.08, :51.92, and 1:18.20 on the yielding course, and she was never seriously threatened, finishing up 1 3/8 miles in 2:18.97.
With only a maiden win, Idea Generation was making her second start of the season for trainer Chad Brown, who notched a record-extending eighth Flower Bowl win. The dark bay miss was exiting a fifth as the favorite versus entry-level allowance foes in her seasonal debut in late July, and Idea Generation concluded last year with a runner-up finish in October’s Waya (G3) over Aqueduct’s yielding turf.
She continued to show an affinity for off conditions while earning her first stakes win in the Flower Bowl, and the Irish-bred daughter of Dubawi has bankrolled $395,150 from a 7-2-2-0 record. Florent Geroux, who was up for the first time in the Waya, retook the mount.
“Flo (Geroux) rode a great race,” said Brown, who also sent out third-place finisher McKulick. “The other good race she ran was with him last fall, so I was thrilled he was actually here today. I was very excited to put him on the horse. My instructions in the paddock were the same that day when she ran second at Aqueduct last fall: ‘You’re here to set the pace, but you’re also here to win. Try to do both. Honest pace — she enjoys running along freely, but if you think you can win the race, by all means, try to win the race.’
“He did it. He was clear. He was setting an honest pace, but he used good judgment to try and win the race for himself, too. That’s what I do with my speed horses.”
“I was able to establish glacial fractions,” Geroux added. “The filly handled the ground very well.”
Brown indicated the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf is unlikely for Idea Generation.
“That seems like a little bit of a reach,” Brown said. “She had her ground and her own way today. I’m not going to get ahead of myself there. We’ll see how she’s doing. She’s unlikely to have soft turf at Del Mar; we know that. We’ll just enjoy this win and plan our future from here. When she gets around three turns on soft turf, she has a place in the barn, that’s for sure.”
War Like Goddess finished two lengths clear of 2.15-1 third choice McKulick, who was followed by Eternal Hope, Verbier, Millie Girl, and Parnac.
Bred by Epona Bloodstock, Idea Generation was purchased for $486,400 as a yearling at the 2021 Tattersalls October sale in England. She’s out of the Galileo mare Knocknagree, a half sister to Irish highweight and sire Zoffany and multiple group winner Rostropovich.
