Brown has four of seven entrants in Diana; Cy Fair seeks Coronation

A record 10-time winner of the Diana (G1), including four in a row and nine in the past decade, trainer Chad Brown is marshalling the horsepower for Saturday’s $500,000 renewal at Saratoga. Four of the seven entrants hail from the Brown barn, most notably current Grade 1 vixens Portfolio Duration and Segesta.

In recent years, the only horses to interrupt Brown’s dominance were a British shipper (Godolphin’s Althiqa in 2021) and a mare trained by the late Christophe Clement (Hard Not to Like in 2015). Those angles could be meaningful for the Miguel Clement-trained Ozara and British-based Cathedral, the two liveliest challengers to the Brown brigade on Saturday.

Diana (G1)

“The Diana is one of the most prestigious, most important Grade 1 races in this division for older female turf horses in the country – if not, the most important race,” Brown told NYRA publicity. “It's at that middle distance of a mile and an eighth where you'll have milers move up and mile and a quarter horses cut back. It's a really fair distance to put the best horses out there to run against each other.

“It's a race I've long targeted with my best group of turf fillies each year,” added. “You develop a feel over time of which horses will like the course and the distance and the timing, and then you work backward from this race and really play for it. Plenty of times we've been lucky enough to hit the mark with the ones that could step up and do it.”

Segesta, third in the Just a Game (G1) last out, ranks as the most accomplished in the field. Although her marquee scores have come going a bit shorter, in last fall’s Matriarch (G1) at Del Mar and a dead-heat Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland, the Juddmonte homebred has been effective at 1 1/8 miles as well. Dylan Davis will guide the daughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper and Antonoe, who was third to champion stablemate Lady Eli in the 2017 Diana. 

Lightly-raced Portfolio Duration is leaping up the class ladder.  Making her graded debut in just her fourth career start, she rallied for second in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day. The Klaravich Stables runner stepped up to 1 3/16 miles at the Spa and wired the June 5 New York (G1), where she just lasted from French shipper Cankoura. The slight cutback in the Diana figures to suit Portfolio Duration, who picks up Manny Franco.

“I think the cutback will work into her favor,” Brown said. “She doesn't need the lead; she can run off the pace. She's a pretty versatile horse. I'm happy to see her develop this year into the horse we thought she could be.”

Stablemate Kathynmarissa, coming off a third in the New York, boasts a 3-for-3 career record at the Diana distance. A resounding allowance winner over this same inner turf last summer, the American Pharoah mare floored Gezora, the reigning Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) heroine, in the 1 1/8-mile Modesty (G3) in her reappearance at Churchill. Jose Ortiz retains the mount.

“She was meant to be more forward in both of her races (this year),” Brown said. “She missed the break at Churchill and still won. Last time (in the New York), I was surprised about that. Maybe she lost a little of her speed this season, I'm not sure...but she's training well, and this distance will be fine for her.”

Rounding out the Brown quartet is Dynamic Pricing, last year’s Just a Game heroine and Diana third. Fourth to Segesta in the Jenny Wiley, she was most recently runner-up in her Beaugay (G3) title defense. Dynamic Pricing shares both human and pedigree connections with Portfolio Duration. Not only is she a fellow Klaravich colorbearer, but Dynamic Pricing is by the same sire, Night of Thunder, and from the same maternal line. Edgard Zayas is named to ride. 

“She loves Saratoga,” Brown said. “She was very effective in the (2025) Just a Game over yielding turf.”

While Cathedral has yet to win since her smashing debut, the Amo Racing filly has held her own in top company. Her highlights include fourths in last season’s Coronation (G1) at Royal Ascot, the Matron (G1) during the Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown, and the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. 

Cathedral’s best result this term was a second in the Dahlia (G2) at Newmarket, perhaps significantly at this distance. The Kevin Philippart de Foy trainee subsequently regressed to seventh in Royal Ascot’s Duke of Cambridge (G2), won by Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) candidate Blue Bolt. 

“The filly ran well in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf last year, and she ran a good race at Newmarket over a mile and one eighth over fast ground at the Guineas meeting to finish second in a Group 2,” Philippart de Foy said.

“The filly travels well, and this seems like a good starting point for her in America. We'll see where she goes next.”

Interestingly, connections have lined up Ricardo Santana Jr. to pilot Cathedral. 

An €800,000 Arqana May Breeze Up buy, Cathedral is by the young Dubawi stallion Too Darn Hot, who is responsible for recent Belmont Derby (G1) winner Title Role. 

“He's a sire Kia (Joorabchian of Amo Racing) and I really like,” Philippart de Foy noted. “They seem to always be trying, and they like fast ground. Cathedral is a strongly-built filly, very good mentally. She's very straightforward. She's not the biggest filly, but she's strengthened a lot from three to four, so I think she's in a better place than last year.”

Ozara is still looking for her breakthrough at the Grade 1 level, but the Clement pupil will try to leverage her horse-for-the-course angle. Unbeaten in three starts here, the Irish-bred earned her biggest win in last summer’s Ballston Spa (G2).

The George Weaver-trained Five G needs to improve from her latest third in the Mount Vernon S. for New York-breds. But the Vekoma filly had flashed talent on turf earlier in her career before taking a detour onto the 2025 Kentucky Oaks (G1) trail. If that was a productive detour, culminating in her Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) victory, Five G could have more to offer on the lawn. 

The Diana is slated to go off as the fifth race at 2:46 p.m. ET, with the $225,000 Coronation Cup (G3), a turf sprint for sophomore fillies, carded as the eighth at 4:29 p.m. ET.

Coronation Cup (G3)

Weaver has the headliner in Cy Fair, star of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1). Third in her reappearance in Keeneland’s Limestone (G3), she regained winning form in the Mamzelle S. at Churchill. 

But Cy Fair’s proposed venture to Royal Ascot was shelved when she wasn’t quite spot-on to Weaver’s satisfaction.

“If we’re not happy, we don’t run them,” Weaver said. “She’s been doing well. She’s been good, training well. When we’re happy with them, we run them. It can change in the blink of an eye, but she’s been doing good.”  

Sapphire Beach, the near-misser in the Limestone when Cy Fair was third, herself came back to win a Churchill allowance. Other contenders include Cadenza, third in the Soaring Softly (G3) over this course and 5 1/2-furlong distance; Snow Face Princess, 2-for-2 here as a juvenile but winless since; Quiet Street, still in search of her optimal trip; and last-out Laurel stakes scorer Hark Theangelssing. Niche and Hot Currency are entered on a main-track-only basis.