ONE. Two. Three. Irish-breds swept the first three places in the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes at Saratoga on June 6th.

The scenario did to what few remaining fans braved the hard rain, light rain and eventually misty conditions for most of the Belmont Stakes eve 14-race marathon card. Chad Brown sent out the 1-2 finishers in the Grade 1 Just A Game Stakes, winning with Klaravich Stable’s Dynamic Pricing and finishing second with Resolute Racing’s Excellent Truth.

Brendan Walsh finished third with Team Valor and Steven Rocco’s Special Wan, who was previously trained by Pat Foley to place in four stakes races in her native country.

Dynamic Pricing’s victory, a three-quarter-length score under Dylan Davis in 1:38.77 for the mile over the yielding inner turf course, also gave Brown a record-extending ninth win in the Just A Game. He’s won those nine in the last 10 years, with only Charlie Appleby spoiling the chance for a 10-pack in 2021 with Godolphin’s Althiqa.

In and out

And it almost didn’t happen, at least for Dynamic Pricing. “Seth and I kicked it around and it was sort of a last-minute entry that I had marked and I was kind of in and out,” Brown said of Klaravich’s Seth Klarman.

“When the skies opened and it rained, she does move up on softer turf. It didn’t help Randomized earlier, who hated it, but it goes to show you when the weather comes you just have to hope you have the right horse. For her, she is looking for soft turf.”

Bred by Epona Bloodstock, Dynamic Pricing picked up $275,000 to pad her bankroll to $772,125. A 170,000gns ($204,442) purchase out of Tattersalls Book 1, Dynamic Pricing has now won four of her nine starts.

John Stewart’s Resolute Racing, who sponsored the Grade 1, had paid €1.6 million for the runner-up Excellent Truth at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale last year. Bred by Sandra Russell, the Cotai Glory mare previously won at listed and Group 3 level in France, as well as finishing second in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild.

Stewart’s million guineas purchase A Lilac Rolla finished last of nine, beaten 19 and a half lengths. The lightly-raced four-year-old previously won a Group 3 and placed in the Irish 1000 Guineas and Falmouth Stakes for Paddy Twomey.