Saratoga Maidens, Presented by Keeneland: Snow Face Princess Relishes Switch To Turf, Scores For Pletcher

[Wandering Eyes]

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–As Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher suspected, grass was the proper surface for Snow Face Princess (Midshipman).

Two months after making her career debut on the dirt at Aqueduct, she secured a victory Wednesday in the sixth race at Saratoga, a $100,000 maiden special weight contest for 2-year-old fillies. Snow Face Princess and leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. completed the 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf Course in 1:02.27. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite in the field of nine, the dark bay or brown filly owned by Gary F. Lewin won by two lengths over Mackinac (Twirling Candy) and paid $7.30.

“It was just one of those moves, typical Todd Pletcher moves,” said Jacob West, Lewin's bloodstock advisor. “They're going to be fit. She was fit, and she was ready. And Irad rode her pretty incredibly well and it just resulted in a win.

Pletcher said Snow Face Princess got some seasoning in the dirt race, but decided to move her on the grass and added blinkers.

“It seems like Midshipman has had some successful turf sprinters, so it seemed like a logical try, Pletcher said. “Glad it worked out.”

Pletcher said the equipment change was less of a factor in her success.

“I think the real key was switching to the turf,” he said.

Early on, she sat third, a couple of lengths off the pace of :21.40 and :44.39 set by Street Sue (Authentic) and moved to the lead entering the stretch. There was a claim of foul following a bumping incident in the stretch, but following a review the stewards did not change the order of finish.

 

Snow Face Princess gets in the turf and gets blinkers to graduate in R6 at Saratoga! @iradortiz had the mount and Todd Pletcher trains. pic.twitter.com/lejfQ1EYax

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 30, 2025

Snow Face Princess was Pletcher's sixth winner in the top-level open maiden races for 2-year-olds at the meet. The 14-time Saratoga champ tops the trainers' table with 12 victories through 15 days.

West is a bloodstock advisor for Lewin, a California resident who has owned horses on his own and as a co-owner with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. Lewin paid $110,000 for Snow Face Princess, who is out of the Honor Code mare Cruisin Alone, at the Fasig-Tipton October Sale.

“She's always just been a filly that since we got her–we sent her down to Susan Montayne at SBM down in Ocala–was always just straightforward, always acted like she was going to be precocious types. Gary has had a couple of horses with Todd over the years, and it just made sense to send her to him. The rest is history.”

Snow Face Princess was a good student and quickly fit into the Pletcher program.

“She came in early to us at Palm Beach Downs back in I want to say early March, because she was precocious at the farm,” Pletcher said. “She's learned her lessons pretty easily, and got a start on the dirt that wasn't bad, fourth beaten five lengths, and kind of kept running to the end. I thought that experience really helped today.”

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