The Grade 2 Ballston Spa is the main appetizer on Alabama Stakes Day at Saratoga on Saturday, August 22, with a $300,000 purse on the line for fillies and mares. The race is scheduled as the 10th race, with a post time of approximately 6:07 p.m. ET, and will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course.
Here’s a look at the field and the top contenders.
Ballston Spa Analysis
1. Ozara (8-1)
Trainer Miguel Clement sends out Ozara, with Dylan Davis aboard.
Ozara has 18 career starts with eight wins, two seconds and two thirds. She has been particularly effective at Saratoga, winning three of four starts, and she’s also strong at this distance, with four wins from six attempts.
Her recent races haven’t been her best. She finished sixth in the Grade 1 Diana last time out over yielding turf, but a return to firm ground could help. She also won this race last year, tracking the pace from an inner post before drawing clear by 1 1/2 lengths.
If Ozara returns to her best form, she could be dangerous at her 8-1 morning-line price. Her inside post should also allow Davis to save ground.
2. Sunlit Uplands (10-1)
Sunlit Uplands is an overseas shipper with John Velazquez taking the mount.
She has four wins and three runner-up finishes from 11 career starts. Her most recent victory came in a Group 3 race in Germany on July 5, where she won by three lengths in a nine-horse field.
There aren’t comparable final time figures available for her because of her European form, making her somewhat difficult to evaluate against this group. Still, the recent Group 3 victory makes her an interesting 10-1 possibility.
3. Deep Satin (5-1)
Trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, Deep Satin has three wins and four seconds from 13 starts.
She was the runner-up in last year’s Ballston Spa, when Ozara defeated her.
Deep Satin’s recent form has been disappointing, including a sixth-place finish in the De La Rose Stakes. However, she has demonstrated that she is capable of running numbers competitive with this field.
She earned a 149 final rating when finishing second in this race last year, followed by a 146 in a Grade 1 at Keeneland and a 147 in the Grade 1 Just a Game at Saratoga earlier this year.
If she can rediscover her top form, she has a legitimate chance.
4. Play With Fire (15-1)
Chad Brown trains Play With Fire, with Manny Franco scheduled to ride.
She has three runner-up finishes in three starts at Saratoga, making this a favorable venue. She was second by a neck in an optional-claiming race at Saratoga on July 9, her first start since October 2025.
That long layoff makes her second start of the season particularly interesting. Her last race earned a 131 rating, and she has previously posted figures of 132 and 137.
A forward move could put her into the picture at a very attractive 15-1.
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