(Roja wins the G2 Intercontinental Stakes at Saratoga on Thursday / Photo Courtesy of NYRA)

From the NYRA Media Team:

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stables’ Roja set a blistering pace and kept on going to capture Thursday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Intercontinental, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older fillies and mares on Day Two of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Graham Motion and piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr., the 4-year-old Karakontie bay completed a natural hat trick of wins that began with a 3 1/2-length score in the 5 1/2-furlong Blue Sparkler in July to close out her sophomore season at Monmouth Park and a one-length victory in a five-furlong optional-claimer on April 29 at Churchill Downs.

Motion said he was thrilled with the dynamic 1 1/4-length score by Roja over her rallying stablemate Italian Soiree.

“I’ll tell you, I had quite a bit of confidence in this filly,” Motion said of Roja. “I felt they probably wouldn’t get to her. I was feeling pretty good when they turned for home. I wasn’t sure they were going to get to her. And then I saw Italian Soiree coming, but I felt like it was getting too late for her.”

Roja broke alertly from the outermost post 9 and showed the way through an opening quarter-mile of 21.35 seconds over the firm footing with the previously undefeated Gratefully, who stumbled badly at the break, tracking from second position with In Our Time saving ground in third to the inside of the favored Shoot It True.

“She cleared everyone in the first few jumps,” returning rider Ortiz, Jr. said. “She broke like a shot. She did that last time, too. She broke sharp again. I was expecting to let her break and then see if anyone goes ahead of her, but nobody did because she broke like a shot out of there. After that I just tried to get her to relax, to have something at the end. She was still going quick. She still quickened so that was nice.”

Shoot It True made an outside bid through the turn, but Roja continued her blistering pace as she reached the half-mile in 43.13 and opened up to lead by 2 1/2-lengths at the stretch call. Shoot It True chased in vain but there was no reeling in the speedy Roja, who surged through the wire a 1 1/4-length winner in a final time of 1:00.44.

The Dylan Davis-piloted Italian Soiree closed from as far back as sixth position to earn place honors by a nose over Shoot It True with Love Cervere, In Our Time, Creed’s Gold, Time to Dazzle, Ready to Jam and Gratefully rounding out the order of finish. Twirling Queen and main-track only entrant Bam’s Bliss Kiss were scratched.

Italian Soiree won the Grade 3 Coronation Cup here last summer while in the care of conditioner John Terranova and was looking to make amends for an off-the-board effort last out in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs.

Motion said the 4-year-old Uncle Mo bay ran back to her winning effort sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs in her seasonal debut in April at Laurel Park.

“I’m tickled with both of them. They’ve really both done very well,” Motion said. “Italian Soiree, I wanted to get her back on track, and I thought this was a big step, but I thought she belonged off her first race [this year].

“Irad just loves this filly [Roja],” Motion continued. “He was so high on her after she won at Churchill. She’s so quick. Irad says she’s like a quarter horse she’s so quick.”

Davis said his filly might have appreciated another half-furlong.

“I tried to get her going a little earlier and she was just slowly pedaling trying to run down the winner, but we couldn’t get there,” Davis said. “The closer and closer we got to the wire, I thought [I could catch the winner], but I wish they would move the wire.”

Roja was purchased by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $70,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale. She graduated at third asking in her turf debut last May at Laurel Park and suffered her only defeat on the lawn that June there when a nose second to Gata Brazil in the Stormy Blues in her stakes debut.

Bred in Kentucky by C. Kidder, Roja, out of the stakes-placed Red Ransom mare Redmeansgo, banked $137,500 in victory while improving her record to 7-4-1-1. She returned $13.44 for a $2 win bet.

Live racing resumes Friday at Saratoga with a stacked 14-race card featuring the Grade 1, $500,000 DraftKings Acorn in Race 10; the Grade 1, $750,000 New York in Race 11, the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford in Race 12; the Grade 2, $300,000 Bed o’ Roses presented by Boldyn Networks in Race 4; and the Grade 2, $300,000 Wonder Again presented by Shift4 in Race 9. First post is 11:45 a.m. Eastern, with gates opening to the public at 10 a.m.

America’s Day at the Races presents daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule.