Emotions were pulling trainer Chad Brown in all kinds of directions as he sat in a clubhouse box seat during the 85th running of the $500,000 Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Four of the five runners in the first Grade 1 of the Spa meet came from Chad Brown's barn. The big gal of the bunch, Peter Brant’s In Italian, came into the race sitting on top of the division. Most of those basking in the humid air on a sun-soaked July 15 expected the 5-year-old mare to run away from the other four. She almost did.

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In Italian and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. led for every step of the 11/8-mile race expect for the last one. The daughter of Dubawi, the 1-5 favorite, got caught at the wire and lost to stablemate Whitebeam by a nose.

This was the first loss of the year for In Italian in her third start. She came into the Diana having won seven of her 11 career races, all of them in front-running fashion.

Even though he did not win the Diana with the horse that was expected to get it done, Brown still won the race for a record eighth time.

“You hate to see a horse that is on such a winning streak – and the leader of the division – get it snapped,” Brown said in the winner’s circle. “(In Italian) really ran too good to lose.”

Whitebeam, a Juddmonte homebred, was sent off at odds of 7.80-1, making her the longest price of the Brown quartet. Ironically, this was the second straight year Brown had run four horses in the Diana and won it with the one with the biggest odds. In more irony, In Italian won it last year at 8-1.

In Italian broke well and set the early fractions of 23.96, 48.00 and 1:11.86. She was tracked by the only non-Brown trained horse in the race, Fev Rover, trained by Mark Casse. Whitebeam ($17.60), ridden by Flavien Prat, was right behind and the two made their move on the far turn.

“You have to respect In Italian,” said Prat, who was riding Whitebeam for the first time. “When you turn for home and you’ve kept up with her, you don’t know if you’ll be able to go by her, but my filly was really brave.”

Brown said the one thing that worried him about In Italian was soft turf. Even though the Mellon Turf was labeled “firm,” there was some give in it after heavy rains from July 13. This was Whitebeam's first Grade 1 attempt.

Fev Rover held third place and was followed home by Brown’s two other entries, Marketsegmentation and Fluffy Socks. The final time was 1:48.33. -- Tim Wilkin

Casa Creed wins Kelso Stakes

Multiple grade 1-winner Casa Creed got the jump on favored Annapolis and held on strong to post a one-length score in the $175,000 Grade 3 Kelso Stakes going one-mile on the inner turf July 15 at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and piloted by Luis Saez, the 7-year-old Casa Creed has now won three graded events traveling one mile over the Saratoga turf, taking the 2019 Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes and last year's Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap.

"It's very rewarding," said Mott of Casa Creed. "Ordinarily, you don't get any more than two seasons out of a horse running at the top level. To have a horse that can run at two, three, and maybe four seasons to run at the very highest level is very good. You don't find those."

Casa Creed. (Angelo Lieto/NYRA)

Casa Creed had the outermost post 7 and settled in sixth position in the early stages to the outside of favored Annapolis. He advanced with purpose approaching the final turn and quickly swooped the field to take command from leading Big Everest at the stretch call. Annapolis angled off the rail and attempted to follow Casa Creed's run through the turn, but he could not reel in the winner, who stopped the clock in a final time of 1:35.51. It was a further 1 1/4-lengths back to English Bee in third. Casa Creed banked $96,250 in victory, while improving his record to 32-8-5-5. He returned $6.50 for a $2 win bet.

Mott said he is hopeful Casa Creed can repeat in the Aug. 12 Fourstardave.

"He's a fun horse," Mott said. "The Fourstardave is and that's a big goal, but to be able to see him and have him compete is great fun.

Yo Yo Candy Scores Giant Upset in Sanford Stakes

Winning a race at Saratoga Race Course is surely one of the most formidable challenges in Thoroughbred racing and the opening Saturday of the 40-day meet exemplified that when 46-1 Yo Yo Candy, under jockey Angel Castillo, surged to the front in mid-stretch of the $175,000 Sanford Stakes for 2-year-olds and won by 2 1/4 lengths over heavily favored Gold Sweep, who was a hard-luck second after stumbling at the start.

"I knew (46-1) didn't do him justice, but we'll take it," said winning trainer Danny Velazquez.

The odds were a reflection of the last meeting between Yo Yo Candy and Gold Sweep when Gold Sweep romped to a nine-length victory in the June 11 Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park. Yo Yo Candy was third in the Tremont, beaten 10 1/4 lengths.

"We made a few adjustments after we ran at Belmont. We put the blinkers on and took him to the gate a few times. I don't think there was a trainer in this race who trained as specifically for this race as we did. I just envisioned it and here we are and it feels great to win," said Velazquez, whose only other graded stakes win came in 2020 with Brooklyn Strong in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes.

The complexion of the Sanford changed when the gates opened, and Gold Sweep stumbled to begin last in the field of nine and forcing jockey Jose Ortiz to make a six-wide move into contention that led to considerable ground loss.

Final time was 1:11.83. Dickens, the early leader, held on for third. -- Bob Ehalt