By J.N. Campbell
Filling out her RSVP card in advance and well-handled throughout, the budding turf star Laurelin (Zarak (Fr)–Bari (Ire), by Cape Cross {Ire}) kept her perfect record intact by sweeping down the Spa lane to earn a trip to the winner's circle in the GII Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational on Saturday.
Spotlighted by TDN Europe's Heather Anderson in her series Making Waves after the Graham Motion trainee broke her maiden at first asking during the Belmont At The Big A meet last October, the bay continued her winning ways in the Tepin Stakes over the same Aqueduct turf course in mid-November and returned to the same scene Apr. 27 to capture the Memories of Silver Stakes. Laurelin finally had the opportunity to run in the delayed Penn Oaks June 27 and she did not disappoint when she earned more black-type for her ledger.
Set for her first graded attempt, the 3-year-old was marked as a 2-1 shot here. The filly took up a spot in the second flight around the first turn and held that position through the backstretch. Called to action around the far turn, Laurelin's three-wide move was pure poetry in motion as she turned up the pressure down the lane on a pair which included heavily favored Opulent Restraint (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). The chestnut cleared inside the eighth pole and earned her first graded trophy for her case. Longshot Evershed (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) was the runner-up and the chalk finished third.
Immediately after the race, the Miguel Clement trainee owned by Bobby Flay who finished fourth, Go Go Boots (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}), was vanned off the course so she could receive further evaluation back at the barn. The Clement Stable said in a post that there was “no fracture,” but there is a “need to assess possible soft tissue damage.” They reported that the filly was “resting comfortable in her stall.”
Graham Motion Assistant Trainer Ian Wilson said after the race about Laurelin's effort: “It was pretty darn impressive. Kendrick [Carmouche] just gave her an absolutely fabulous ride. Every time he rides her, I tell him afterwards, he just gets on really well with this filly. Sat a perfect trip outside. When it was time to get running, she ran and ran them all down, and it was pretty cool to watch.”
On the filly remaining undefeated: “That's hard to believe, really,” Wilson said. “You don't take any of the wins for granted and to have a filly that has won her first five starts in a row is unbelievable.
“She always seemed like she had ability so we weren't too surprised when she won first time out, but then to come back and win a stake, [then] come back off a layoff and win a stake, and just keep winning, is pretty cool,” he said.
Pedigree Notes:
The winner's sire (by Dubawi {Ire}) now has 21 worldwide higher-level victories to his credit. Laurelin is his second graded stakes winner on this side of the pond–the other being Parnac (Fr) after her victory in the GII Flower Bowl Stakes at the Spa in 2023.
Laurelin's dam has six foals, counts three to race and as many winners. Among them is her first, Maud Gonne Spirit (Ire) (Intello {Ger}), who is an Irish listed race victress.
Bari's last registered foal is a current 2-year-old colt by Space Blues (Ire). As for her immediate family, her half-sister is English SW Brindisi (GB) (Dr Fong) and the dam of G2 Doncaster Cup hero Thomas Hobson (GB) (Halling). Laurelin's extended female line stretches back to include G1 Investec Epsom Oaks heroine Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}).
Saturday, Saratoga
FASIG-TIPTON SARATOGA OAKS INVITATIONAL S.-GII, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-9, 3yo, f, 1 3/16mT, 1:52.60, fm.
1–LAURELIN (IRE), 121, f, 3, by Zarak (Fr)
1st Dam: Bari (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire)
2nd Dam: Genoa (GB), by Zafonic
3rd Dam: Yawl (GB), by Rainbow Quest
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (€160,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Newstead Stables LLC; B-M. H. Dixon & Mount Coote Estates (IRE); T-H. Graham Motion; J-Kendrick Carmouche. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 5-5-0-0, $571,250. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Evershed (Ire), 121, f, 3, Churchill (Ire)–Balankiya (Ire), by Darshaan (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. (€340,000 Ylg '23 ARAUG). O-Mark B. Grier; B-Lynch Bages & Camas Park Stud (IRE); T-Arnaud Delacour. $100,000.
3–Opulent Restraint (Ire), 121, f, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Significant Form, by Creative Cause. O-Stephanie Seymour Brant; B-White Birch Farm Sc (IRE); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 3/4, HF. Odds: 2.20, 14.00, 1.40.
Also Ran: Go Go Boots (GB), Totally Justified, Sigh No More (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
LAURELIN remains undefeated!
She is now 5-for-5 after her win in the Grade 2 @FasigTiptonCo Saratoga Oaks Invitational with @KendrickCarmou1 up for trainer @GrahamMotion. pic.twitter.com/oWtj3IvndH
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) August 9, 2025
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