Daring Dancer got back to her winning ways under overcast skies at Saratoga in the Lake George (NYRA/Adam Mooshian/Adam Coglianese Photography)

Sagamore Farm's homebred Daring Dancer just got up to stick her head in front of A Little Bit Sassy on the wire of Wednesday's Grade 2, $200,000 Lake George at Saratoga. In the process, the Empire Maker filly got back on the winning track after seeing her unbeaten mark marred last out with a fifth in the Wonder Again at Belmont Park.

"(Jockey) Alan (Garcia) said she never picked up the bridle (in the Wonder Again). I honestly believe it had to be the soft ground. I was having kittens in the paddock here when it started to rain, because it held off all afternoon, but she was a different horse today. Right from the beginning today, she was on the bridle. Alan gave her beautiful ride and was very patient for her today," trainer Graham Motion said.

"To come up here and be competitive with these guys, it's always somewhat of a concern. I feel like we have had a stronger group (of horses) than we've ever had, and we've started off with a good meet."

Sent off the 3-1 favorite against her six rivals, Daring Dancer was worth $8.30 for finishing 1 1/16 miles on the firm inner turf in 1:40 4/5. Garcia was back in the irons on Wednesday and settled her into a ground-saving midpack spot just off the rail down the backstretch. Daring Kathy led the way up front through splits of :24, :48 and 1:11 3/5 with A Little Bit Sassy keeping close attendance just behind and to the pacesetter's outside.

Alan Garcia beamed as Daring Dancer was led into the winner's circle at the Spa (NYRA/Susie Raisher/Adam Coglianese Photography)

"She relaxed good today," trainer Michael Matz praised A Little Bit Sassy. "I thought she had enough speed; I didn't know how much speed (Daring Kathy) had, but I thought (jockey Luis Saez) rode (A Little Bit Sassy) good. He waited as long as he would want to, hoping he could get a jump on the other horse. He just didn't get enough. (Daring Dancer) is a nice filly, I think."

"I had no excuse," Saez remarked. "She was running very comfortably in the clear all the way. When we came into the stretch, I had a lot of horse, but the last furlong the winner came on. I saw the horse coming and I had to ride hard. We just got beat. She ran great today."

It was another 1 1/4 lengths behind the top two to Daring Kathy, who just held third by three parts of a length over Sweet Acclaim. That one in turn was a head up on Speed Seeker, who kept her neck in front of Duff One on the wire. Little Journey completed the order of finish another length back.

Daring Dancer is now 4-0-0 from five career starts, all at different tracks, and more than doubled her lifetime earnings to $230,580 with the Lake George winner's share. The Maryland-bred filly broke her maiden first out at Laurel Park last September and captured an allowance at Churchill Downs a month later to cap off her juvenile campaign.

She returned at Keeneland in April to take the Appalachian in her stakes debut before throwing in the subpar effort in the Wonder Again at Belmont Park on May 25. Given plenty of time to recover from that, Daring Dancer returned a gutsy winner on Wednesday.

The well-bred miss is out of the Red Ransom mare Vienna Affair and is a half-sister to this year's Henry S. Clark Stakes victor Hamp. Vienna Affair is herself a half-sibling to Group 1 victor Crowded House as well as the dam of multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Ticker Tape.