Kentucky-bred Leave No Trace remained undefeated and turned back a competitive field of nine rivals to take down the top prize in the $300,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Sunday, Sept. 4, in her stakes debut for owner Wellspring Stables and trainer Philip Serpe.

Ridden by Jose Lezcano, Leave No Trace stalked the early pace of Naughty Gal down the backstretch of the seven-furlong fixture. Leave No Trace entered the stretch on even terms for command and despite drifting out some nearing the sixteenth pole, she edged clear late to score by 1 ½ lengths at the finish. The 2-year-old daughter of Outwork stopped the clock in 1:24.03.

“Her first race was impressive,” said Serpe, who registered his first Grade 1 win since Birdonthewire won the 1993 Vosburgh Stakes (G1). “I don’t swear by Beyer numbers and sheet numbers, but I do use them as a tool. Her numbers were good, she was training great, she worked :59 and change for fun. You’ve got to go and make hay when the sun shines. Some horses in here had run a couple of times, some horses like her had only run one time, but you got to take a shot. That’s what racing is.”

Bred in the Bluegrass, Leave No Trace is produced from the Good Journey mare Tanquerray and was a $40,000 graduate of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale. She was bred in Kentucky by Red Cloak Farm.

Also on Sept. 4, Forte rebounded from a fourth-place effort in the Sanford Stakes (G3) on July 16 to win the $300,000 Hopeful Stakes (G1) in decisive fashion for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable.

Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte traded bumps with Western Ghent shortly after at the start. When asked for his best by Ortiz at the quarter pole, Forte responded gamely. He swung four-wide into the upper stretch and took over the lead nearing the three-sixteenths pole. He dug in late and edged away to win by three lengths in the end, stopping the timer in 1:22.58 for the seven furlongs.

“Last time, he wasn’t able to get extracted into the clear until really, really late,” Pletcher said. “When he did, he showed some interest. He came back and trained really well with some older horses. There were a lot of good indications that he was going to rebound and run to his capabilities, but you never know until you see it. I felt like the added distance was in his favor, and he’s a nice colt.

A $110,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, Forte was bred in Kentucky by South Gate Farm. He broke his maiden by 7 ¾ lengths in his May 27 debut at Belmont Park. Pletcher indicated that Forte will likely target the $500,000 Champagne Stakes (G1) on Oct. 1 at Belmont Park. Forte is produced from the Blame mare Queen Caroline.