Saratoga: Betting Both Divisions of the De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga

The opening-day feature(s) on Thursday at The Spa are the $135,000 De La Rose S. for fillies and mares running one mile on the inner turf. The race proved so popular at the entry box that it has been divided into two divisions. 

Race 5 (1st Division)

The especially competitive turf affair looks to be pretty wide open to me, but I will give a slight edge to Graham Motion’s #4 Heredia (3-1). Group-3 winning daughter of Dark Angel made her first appearance in the states off of more than 18 months on the shelf in the Beaugay S. (G3) last time, and she ran well to finish third behind a subsequent Grade 1 victress. The six-year-old mare will be more fit for this contest and will be making her presence felt inside the final furlong beneath Manny Franco. 

I’ll use a pair of runners with my top pick, with multiple stakes victress #2 Les Reys (9-2) being one. The French import ran evenly as the choice in the Valley View S. (G3) at Keeneland in advance of this and will improve in her third run off the bench for Miguel Clement. #7 Way to Be Marie (8-1) is a generous price on the morning line for conditioner Rob Atras. The Not This Time four-year-old is consistently good and has Irad in the silks. 

Wagers:

$15 win and place #4 Heredia ($30)
$4 exacta key box 4 with 2,7 ($16)

Race 8 (2nd Division)

The pair of favorites on the morning line appear to be a cut above their foes in the affair, and I will keep it simple. Three-time stakes heroine #1 Ozara (7-2) put in a nice try at Monmouth behind a talented winner in the Eatontown S. (G3) most recently and is well placed on the rail for Clement. The Lope de Vega filly rarely puts in a subpar effort and wouldn’t be a surprise with Dylan Davis in the stirrups. 

Saffie Joseph’s #4 Movin’ On Up (6-5) has taken her game to a new level in 2025 and is the sure one to beat under Irad. The Accelerate four-year-old comes off a pair of nice third-place results in tough fields at Churchill Downs most recently, and the former $35,000 claim will be formidable with any improvement off of those tries. 

Wager:

$20 exacta box 1-4 ($40)