Stephanie's Kitten faces familiar foes in Diana

The protagonists in Saturday's Grade 1, $600,000

Diana are

well known, mostly to each other. The rivalry between Stephanie's Kitten and

Dayatthespa dates to their juvenile season in 2011, while Centre Court and

Samitar have locked horns with those two, and each other, multiple times in the

past year.

That quartet of four-year-olds fillies, joined by the older mares Dream Peace

and Laughing, will stage an excellent renewal of the Diana, contested over 1 1/8

miles on Saratoga's inner turf.

Stephanie's Kitten has emerged this season as the leader of her peers,

earning back-to-back wins in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile and the Just a Game

with furious rallies. Though both were contested on less-than-firm ground,

course condition has never been an issue for the daughter of Kitten's Joy, who

captured the Lake Placid last summer on firm ground over the Diana course and

distance.

Dayatthespa, who dealt Stephanie's Kitten a defeat last fall in the Queen

Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, might be the one to fear most in the

Diana. Undefeated at the ancient Union Avenue course, the New York-bred has the

potential of getting an uncontested lead here, though she failed to capitalize

in similar circumstances in last month's Eatontown at Monmouth, where she set

fractions that were too fast to sustain.

Centre Court had never finished worse than second on grass until the June 8

Just a Game at Belmont, where she settled for fourth after a rough trip. The

Rusty Arnold trainee was favored that day after starting the year two-for-two,

winning the Honey Fox at Gulfstream and the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in

comfortable style. A creditable rebound in the Diana is entirely possible.

Samitar, who captured the Irish One Thousand Guineas before her importation

last summer, finished behind Centre Court in her first two starts of the season

and then disappointed in the Gallorette Handicap over a speed-favoring Pimlico

turf. She got back on the winning track in the July 4 Fairy Garden at Belmont, a

restricted overnight stakes.

Dream Peace, runner-up to Winter Memories in the 2012 Diana, is still

searching for her first North American victory after coming up short in the New

York, Beaugay, Flower Bowl and two editions of the E.P. Taylor in her other

appearances on the continent. Laughing, who pulled off the mild upset of

Dayatthespa in the Eatontown, figures on paper to be that rival's closest

pursuer in the early stages of the Diana.

The Grade 1, $300,000

Prioress,

a six-furlong dash for three-year-old fillies, lost a bit of luster this week

when Midnight Lucky, the 6 1/4-length winner of the Acorn, did not travel from

California after developing a foot bruise following a workout last weekend.

Kauai Katie, a four-time graded stakes winner, likely assumes the favorite's

role in the Prioress despite getting run off her feet by Midnight Lucky in the

Acorn. The Todd Pletcher pupil stumbled at the start of that one-mile test, and

is capable of showing more speed this time around.

So Many Ways, who captured the Spinaway and the Schuylerville at last year's

Saratoga meet, upset the Eight Belles at Churchill Downs two back, and probably

found the 1 1/16 miles of the Iowa Oaks too far most recently.

Others of note in the field of seven are Wildcat Lily, last-out winner of the

Azalea on Calder's Summit of Speed program, and Ju Ju Eyeballs, who enters on a

five-race win streak, the last two in minor stakes at Monmouth.

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