Jun 8, 2024; Saratoga Springs, NY, USA; Golden Degree (4) gets an early lead over Lady de Berry with Flavien Prat up (7) and Buttercream Babe with Luis Saez (9) and Source (GB) with Joel Rosario up (1) during race two at Saratoga Race Course. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Laurelin puts undefeated status on line in graded stakes debut

Originally posted on Horse Racing on SI | By Mary Rufo | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 1:10 PM ET

Five fillies entered the Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks with the hopes of ending Laurelin’s undefeated status, although the Graham Motion filly will have something to say about that.

Laurelin is a three-year-old chestnut filly by Zarak. She broke her maiden last October during the Belmont at the Big A meet and a month later, won her stakes debut in the Tepin Stakes over former Kentucky Oaks contender, Five G. Laurelin made her three-year-old debut in April where she defeated Opulent Restraint in the Memories of Silver Stakes. Opulent Restraint draws the rail in today’s Saratoga Oaks.

Not only is this Laurelin’s graded stakes debut, but this is a distance she has yet to contend in her four race career. The Saratoga Oaks is contested over Saratoga’s Mellon Turf Course at a distance of a mile and three-sixteenths while the longest Laurelin has run was a mile and one eighth on her debut score.

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche will be aboard the Motion-trained filly. Carmouche rode Laurelin in all but one career start.

Go Go Boots will also be making a debut, though this debut is one on American soil. The Night of Thunder filly spent her career thus far running in Europe. Owned by Bobby Flay, Go Go Boots will be saddled on Saturday afternoon by Miguel Clement. Clement’s father Christophe Clement passed away in May after a battle with cancer. Flay and the Clement barn have teamed up for success in the past, including a win at the Breeders’ Cup with then juvenile filly, Pizza Bianca.

Go Go Boots is also the only filly in the field who has raced at or beyond the distance of this race. Jose Ortiz, currently in second place on the Saratoga jockey leaderboard, gets the call.

While Opulent Restraint lost to Laurelin by a mere neck in the Memories of Silver, the Chad Brown filly showed improvements in the Belmont Oaks. The Dubawi filly earned a career best 89 Beyer Speed Figure while running third to winner Fionn and runner up Nitrogen. Flavien Prat gets back on the filly for the first time since a fourth place performance in the Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs earlier this year.

Totally Justified, the only filly entered that sold at public auction, will try to make her way back into the winners circle after nearly a year. The Rusty Arnold trainee will give a leg up to Manny Franco.

Post time for the Saratoga Oaks is 5:07pm ET.