Late last week, Saratoga Casino Hotel announced the winner of the foal-naming contest. The contest was held online and asked the general public for name submissions for the newest filly from Derue Stables.

Sired by Flying Instructor out of Stage It Right, the six-month-old filly currently resides with another filly in the pasture adjacent to Saratoga Casino’s new hotel.

Jordan Derue claimed the foal’s dam, Stage It Right, in the fall of 2015. When her performance on the track began to decline, Derue brought her in to the vet for a checkup. To everyone’s surprise, they discovered the mare was pregnant. On May 18, 2016, she gave birth to the filly that Derue sought a name for.

A panel of judges from the casino vetted more than 1,100 name submissions and selected the winning name of Precious Cargo. The submission came from Denise Finn, who said she used the foal’s unique story as inspiration for her name.

“I chose Precious Cargo because I envisioned her sire Flying Instructor and dam Stage It Right flying down the track, because they knew they had a secret precious cargo to protect,” remarked Finn. “I’ve loved horses all my life and knowing I named this beautiful filly definitely fulfills my elusive dream of owning a horse in the perfect way.”

As part of her winning the naming contest, Finn will receive a complimentary night’s stay at Saratoga Casino Hotel, as well as a dinner at Morton’s® The Steakhouse.

“We were very pleased by the response from this contest,” said John Matarazzo, the director of racing operations at Saratoga Casino Hotel. “We thank everyone for their participation and hope that one day we get the chance to see Precious Cargo race at Saratoga Harness just like her parents.”

(Saratoga Casino Hotel)