Ways and Means wins second Bed o' Roses in a thriller

Ways and Means successfully defended her title in the $300,000 Bed o' Roses (G2) at Saratoga on Friday. Unlike last year, she needed every inch of the seven furlongs to do it.

Ways and Means defeated eventual Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner Scylla by 7 3/4 lengths in the Bed o' Roses 12 months ago. Grand Job, though, proved a far more formidable rival in Friday's renewal.

Gunning from post 1, Grand Job set a blistering pace of :22.07 and :43.97, and despite the wicked splits, appeared to be opening up again on the odds-on Ways and Means with a furlong to go. However, the taxing fractions ultimately caught up with Grand Job, as Ways and Means got her nose down at the wire to win under Flavien Prat.

"When [Grand Job] sprinted away from her, there were a fair number of horses who would have had their hearts broken, if you will. The fact that she regained her confidence and bore down again, I think that says a lot about her heart and determination," trainer Chad Brown said.

A homebred racing for Seth Klarman, Ways and Means finished up in 1:21.05 over a fast track and paid $3.46. Grand Job finished 9 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Senza Parole, another Chad Brown trainee.

The Bed o' Roses was Ways and Means' fifth win in six career tries at Saratoga, the lone setback being a troubled second in the 2023 Spinaway (G1). Her signature win at the Spa occurred in the 2024 Test (G1), while her other stakes success came in the 2024 Gallant Bloom (G2) at Aqueduct.

Ways and Means will be targeted toward the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Keeneland. She finished fifth as the favorite in the 2024 edition at Del Mar, exiting the race with an ankle chip. She missed the remainder of the 2025 season after winning the Bed o' Roses.

"She got sick again last year, and I had to pull the plug on the whole year," Brown said. "If we can just keep her healthy and ready for that race in the fall, she'll be very competitive."

Ways and Means, who is now 6-for-11, is a five-year-old by Practical Joke. A Kentucky-bred, she was produced by the stakes-winning Strong Incentive, a Warrior's Reward mare who has also produced Grade 1 winner Surge Capacity and Grade 3 scorer Highly Motivated.

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