SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In five of her last 10 starts before Sunday’s Glens Falls Stakes, the margin of victory or defeat for La Mehana had been a neck or a head.
On Sunday, over a yielding turf course made so by morning rain, La Mehana left no doubt as to who was clearly best over the going, galloping to an 8 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls at Saratoga. Bellezza, the 8-5 favorite, finished second, giving trainer Miguel Clement a one-two finish in a stakes his father Christophe won four times.
Christophe Clement, who died in May of cancer, purchased La Mehana at the Deauville sale at the end of 2023. In fall 2024, La Mehana won the Grade 3 Waya at Aqueduct and in December she captured the Via Borghese at Gulfstream, both by a neck. La Mehana then ran third in a trio of graded stakes - twice losing by a neck - at Gulfstream Park before a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay at Aqueduct in May.
La Mehana got back in the winner’s circle with a one-length victory in a June 27 allowance race at Aqueduct in which she defeated four of the six rivals she faced on Sunday.
Under Flavien Prat, La Mehana sat an up-close third, two lengths behind Long Ago, who set the pace stalked by Sacaya, also trained by Clement.
Long Ago, under Jose Ortiz, had the lead turning into the stretch, when Prat asked his mare to go, she overhauled Long Ago at the eighth pole and drew away impressively.
“The ground is actually quite soft and she was handling it well,” Prat said. “She jumped well out of there, I was able to get a good position into the first turn, always on the bridle the whole way. I didn’t want to move too soon, in the meantime, everybody was kind of falling apart in front of me and it was time to go, but she made a nice run.”
Bellezza finished second by 3 1/4 lengths over Long Ago, who was followed in the order of finish by No Show Sammy Jo, Lady Firefoot, Dazzlin’ Dictator and Sacaya. Immensitude scratched.
La Mehana, a 6-year-old daughter of Al Wukair owned by LSU Stables, covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:30.54 and returned $7 as the second choice. She earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure, tied for the year's highest turf figure in races a mile or longer.
“She’s a 6-year-old, but her last two races may be her best two races to date,” Clement said. “Maybe she’s like French wine, where she’s getting better with age. It’s rare to have a horse hit her top form as a 6-year-old."
Clement said when the rain came it figured to help La Mehana but hinder Bellezza, who won the Grade 3 Sheepshead Bay at Aqueduct in May over firm ground, but was third in the Grade 1 New York over yielding turf here in June.
“Without a doubt it hindered Bellezza’s chances, she was a bit unlucky in the New York Stakes because of the going,” Clement said. “Nevertheless, La Mehana ran very well in France. She’s a very efficient mover, she’s very light on her feet. With her pedigree and her running style [soft ground] was a great advantage toward her.”
Both La Mehana and Bellezza could be considered for the Grade 2, $500,000 Flower Bowl on Aug. 30.
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