Saratoga wrap: 3 graded stakes are on Acorn undercard

Brown wins seventh Just a Game with Chili Flag

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Michael Kisber’s Chili Flag powered down the center of the inner turf course to overtake stablemate Whitebeam in mid-stretch and go on to a half-length triumph in the 31st running of Friday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game for older fillies and mares going one mile on the inner turf, at Saratoga.

Click here for Saratoga entries and results.

It was the fourth victory of the day for jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., and record-extending seventh in the Just a Game for trainer Chad Brown, who entered five of the seven horses in the field. Brown previously won the Just a Game with Antonoe [2017], A Raving Beauty [2018], Rushing Fall [2019], Newspaperofrecord [2020], Regal Glory [2022] and In Italian [2023].

Chili Flag, a 5-year-old French-bred daughter of British-bred Cityscape, won for the third straight race and picked up her first career Grade 1 victory, moving over the $1 million mark in career earnings. Sent off at odds of 4-1, she returned $10.40 for a $2 win bet.

“Chili Flag ran great today. 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. “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.”

Evvie Jets was quickest from the gate and ran an opening quarter-mile in 23.91 seconds pressed to her outside by Whitebeam, one of three previous Grade 1 winners in the field along with Brown-trained stablemates Gina Romantica and Beaute Cachee.

Whitebeam finally wrested a short lead once straightened for home after going six furlongs in 1:12.34, but Ortiz, Jr. had moved Chili Flag into contention on the outside at the top of the stretch. Set down for a drive, Chili Flag continued to gain ground before reeling in Whitebeam approaching the wire and pulling clear from her and Mission of Joy to emerge from a three-way photo in front. The winning time was 1:35.01 over the firm course.

Ortiz, Jr. and Chili Flag had to survive a claim of foul from Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, the rider of Mission of Joy, alleging interference at the top of the stretch. After a stewards’ review, the claim was not allowed.

“I had a beautiful trip. A perfect trip, to be honest. Broke, I let her settle, and she just came running late. She was rolling at the end,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “That’s the way she has been running. So, I didn’t want to change her style.”

Future Is Now Holds on to win Intercontinental

R. Larry Johnson’s homebred Future Is Now earned her second career stakes victory with a gritty head score in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental, a 5 1/2-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares, at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga.

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“This filly has learned to sit off of horses and run when she’s needed,” trainer Michael Trombetta said. “It’s really changed things for her. In the last couple of races, it’s all really come together for her. This was great. I mean, this is over the top for us. We came in here with expectations just to run well. But to win it is extraordinary.”

Ridden by Paco Lopez, Future Is Now broke sharply from post 5-of-9 as Kaufymaker took advantage of a swift break under Luis Saez and hustled to the front to lead the field through an opening quarter-mile in 21.76 seconds over the firm but rain-soaked footing after a deluge fell on the course shortly before the race.

“I was concerned when I saw the weather roll in before the race,” Trombetta said. “I thought the storm would really tear up the place and be a problem. But she handled it [the course] good. The little bit of water didn’t hurt her.”

Future Is Now kept close watch in second rounding to the turn and was asked to pick it up at the top of the lane to go head-to-head with the game Kaufymaker with Roses for Debra charging down the center of the course through the half-mile in 44.24. Future Is Now stuck her head in front in the final sixteenth and had put away the resolute Kaufymaker, but was under threat from Roses for Debra to her outside.

Lopez urged with a right-handed crop in the final strides to the wire to will his charge to hold on long enough to turn back Roses for Debra by a head in a final time of 1:01.35 with Kaufymaker finishing another neck back in third.