The race was the feature on a Sunset Racing card to kicks off “Hats Off to Saratoga” -- the traditional Opening Weekend celebration in Saratoga.
Zee Zee was another two lengths back in third, followed by Receipt, Stealin’ Kisses, and Mousse Au Chocolat.
“My filly couldn’t pick it up,” said Christopher Lemaire, aboard the beaten favorite. “The inside horse crossed my line and I nearly fell down.”
My Princess Jess’s winning time for the mile and one sixteenth over the course, which was softened by heavy rains the first two days of the 140th race meet at the Spa, was 1:44.00.
“She was a little closer than I wanted her to be, and I had to take a kind of big hold on her,” said Coa, who earlier scored with Real Estate ($5.50) in the sixth race and Midtown Ballet ($10.60) in the fourth race. “She didn’t like it – that’s why she was throwing her head up. But I think, back there, she relaxed and I was in a good position all the way to the quarter-pole.
“Then, I had nowhere to go. I needed to wait for a little bit of room. When I finally got it, she helped me out, splitting horses nice.”
It was the third straight victory for My Princess Jess, who won the Grade 3 Boiling Springs at Monmouth Park on June 28 in her first start for trainer Barclay Tagg. The dark bay filly, who in her previous start took the Gaviola at Belmont Park, now sports a record of four victories in seven starts, with three seconds.
Up next, said Tagg, most likely will be at Belmont Park’s Fall Championship Meet in the Grade 1 Garden City on September 6, followed by the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup a Keeneland on October 11.
“We’ll skip the Lake Placid [Grade 2, $150,000 at Saratoga August 15],” said the trainer. “She has run back-to-back gutsy races; we want to give her a break.”
The second choice, My Princess Jess returned $6.10 for a $2 win bet as she earned $90,000, boosting her bankroll to $270,420.
LAKE GEORGE QUOTES
Winning trainer Barclay Tagg of My Princess Jess (No. 2), third winner of the day: [regarding the inquiry] “You don’t like to lose races, especially after you win them. I wasn’t too worried about her getting through. She’s pretty gutsy. She has run on soft turf, but not against this type of competition. She has a lot of ability and courage, and she showed that today.
“We’ll skip the Lake Placid. She has run back-to-back gutsy races; we want to give her a break and look at the Garden City [Grade 1, $200,000, 3yo fillies, nine furlongs, turf, September 6, Belmont Park] and QE II [Grade 1, $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, 3yo fillies, 9 furlongs, turf, October 11, Keeneland].”
Winning jockey Eibar Coa: “She was a little closer than I wanted her to be, and I had to take a kind of big hold on her. She didn’t like it. That’s why she was throwing her head up. But I think, back there, she relaxed and I was in a good position all the way to the quarter-pole. Then, I had nowhere to go. I needed to wait for a little bit of room. When I finally got it, she helped me out, splitting horses nice. She ran like much the best.”
Christophe Lemaire, jockey of beaten favorite Mousse Au Chocolat (No. 4): “My filly couldn’t pick it up. The inside horse crossed my line and I nearly fell down.”