A few hours after the third race on Sunday, Aug. 7, Lacey Gaudet stood on the second floor of the clubhouse at Saratoga Race Course. It’s a place she’s been many times before, but despite her familiarity with it, on that afternoon, she viewed the place with a new perspective, that of a trainer with a Saratoga starter.

Gaudet had shipped up from Maryland on Saturday morning with one horse, a four-year-old filly named Pret Say Eye. Gaudet claimed her last December out of a race at Laurel in which the filly had gone off the favorite and won by 3 1/4.

“The owner had contacted me looking for a broodmare prospect,” said Gaudet Sunday morning, standing outside the Mark Casse barn at Saratoga, in which Pret Say Eye had taken up temporary residence. “It was the end of turf season in Maryland, and the owner said if she’s happy and sound, go ahead and run her until we want to make her a broodmare.”

A Maryland-bred, the dark bay/brown filly is by Ready’s Image and out of the Carson City mare Carleaville, second in the 1999 Cicada Stakes (grade II) at Aqueduct and was bred by Mr. and Mrs. Charles McGinnes. She’s owned by Kip Knelman, who bred 2002 Wood Memorial winner Buddha in the name of Farfellow Farm.

Gaudet had been looking at races at Laurel for the filly, but when a two-other-than didn’t go for last Sunday, Gaudet saw a similar race in Saratoga and decided to ship in.

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