SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown will have a filly in the $600,000 GI Alabama Stakes on Saturday, but it's not the one you might have expected.My Gun's Loaded (Gun Runner), will make her stakes debut in the Alabama after winning both starts this year. She broke her maiden at Saratoga June 6 by 4 1/4 lengths and then won a mile allowance race by three lengths July 24.Always a Runner (Gun Runner), winner of her first three starts, including the prestigious GI Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs May 1, will not run in the Alabama. Brown said Sunday that he will send this gifted filly, owned by Douglas Scharbauer and breeder Three Chimneys Farm, LLC, to the $1-million GI Cotillion at Parx Sept. 19.In her last two starts, both at Saratoga, Always a Runner finished second to Counting Stars (Honor A.P.), the probable favorite for the Alabama, in the GI Acorn Stakes (by 3 3/4 lengths) and the GI Coaching Club American Oaks (by 4 1/4 lengths).Working together: Always a Runner outside of My Gun's Loaded | Sarah Andrew“She ran really good races and was second best,” Brown said outside his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track Sunday morning. “After two starts at Saratoga, maybe try her at a different track. She might not be quite at her best here, not to make excuses. She trains fine here; it just might not be her favorite surface.”My Gun's Loaded is also owned by Scharbauer.Brown also has an upcoming star in the filly ranks after 2-year-old Libby Lloyd (Into Mischief) romped to a 10-length win in her first career start and earned herself a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard,' on Saturday. Owned by Bret Jones, Libby Lloyd and jockey Flavien Prat covered the six furlongs in 1:10.80.Libby Lloyd most likely won't be racing at the Spa again this summer as the $300,000 GI Spinaway Stakes Sept. 5 comes up a little too quick for Brown. He will wait for the $500,000 GI Frizette Stakes at the new Belmont Park Oct. 3.“I was very impressed with her,” Brown said. “The horse has trained really well all summer, and we were excited to get her started. It was finally her turn and she did not disappoint. I'll try to stretch her all the way to a mile (in the Frizette). It's a big jump from six furlongs, but it might be what I have to do.” Another High Five for RiceThis was nothing new for trainer Linda Rice. During her 39-year-career, she had won five races in a day twice. On Saturday, she did it for the third time, but this time it came at Saratoga.Linda Rice with jockey Jose Ortiz | Coglianese“We had a very good day,” Rice said Sunday morning while looking at yearlings for the two-day Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale that began Sunday night. “It's always special and, to do it at Saratoga, that's a great feeling.”The first two times Rice won five in one day came at Aqueduct.She did it last Jan. 22 and also got to the winner's circle five times on Wood Memorial Day, Apr. 4, 2024.She is the second trainer to get five wins in one day at this meet. Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher did it Aug. 1.“You go into thinking you can win a couple,” Rice said. “But you never go into it thinking you're going to win five. It's always great to win five in a day, but it's significantly better here.”On Saturday, her winners were Scramjet (Uncle Mo, $18.96) in the second, Lady Rose (Upstart, $4.24) in the fourth, Bite and Strike (Liam's Map, $10.60) in the seventh, Calling Card (Complexity, $5.66) in the 11th and Maximum Heat (Maxfield, $3.50) in the 12th.Two of the winners (Lady Rose, Bite and Strike) were ridden by Jose Lezcano, who came into Saturday with no wins in his first 80 starts at the meet.“One thing about Jose Lezcano, he is such an even-keeled professional,” Rice said. “You never see him lose his temper. Not with horses, not with people. He rides the wave.”What made the day even more special is that Rice invited her office staff from Belmont Park to spend the day at Saratoga. The dozen workers, who had never been to Saratoga, Rice said, brought family and friends with them and were able to experience the wins in the paddock and the winner's circle.After the big day, there would be no wild celebration with all the familiar faces in town.“I got a quick bite to eat, went home and went to bed,” she said with a laugh.Caddiemaster on the bag and in the winner's circle | Sarah AndrewRice did not cool off on Sunday as she won the first race with Caddiemaster (Liam's Map, $13.76) and the fifth with Seeker's Hope (McKinzie, $3.44).She has 23 wins, good for second place in the trainer's standings, three behind leader Chad Brown. Rice is the only woman to win a Saratoga training title, and she has done it twice. She won it outright in 2009 with 20 wins and shared the 2023 title with Brown when both won 35 races.“Chad is a hard guy to catch,” Rice said. “He wins races every day in bunches. We'll keep throwing the ball and seeing what we can get.” Pletcher Starting to get the Band Back TogetherThe leader of the pack for the 3-year-old colts for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is Renegade (Into Mischief), the winner of the GII Jim Dandy Stakes last month and one of the favorites for the $1.25 million GI DK Travers Stakes Aug. 29.Ted Noffey works with Carlos Quevedo at Saratoga on Sun. | Sarah AndrewSome of the other stalwarts of Pletcher's sophomore division are trickling back into his barn after missing the Triple Crown campaign last spring.Spendthrift Farm's 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard,' Ted Noffey (Into Mischief), the 2025 Eclipse Award winner for champion 2-year-old colt, is back in training after arriving in Saratoga two weeks ago. Undefeated in four starts as a juvenile, Ted Noffey was taken off the Kentucky Derby trail with bone bruising.He had his second Saratoga work on Sunday as he went four furlongs in :49.77 (112/151) with exercise rider Carlos Quevedo on board.Pletcher said Ted Noffey won't run at Saratoga but could target a race in the fall.“He doesn't have many conditions left, so it will be a little tricky where we place him coming back,” Pletcher said. “We will zero in on that as we get a little more foundation into him. It's great to have him back and I'm happy with the way he looks.”Another promising colt, Centennial Farms's Nearly (Not This Time) is close to rejoining the Pletcher barn. He is at Don Little Jr.'s–Centennial Farms' president and co-owner–training center in Middleburg, Va.Nearly, winner of two of three this year, including the GIII Fountain of Youth, was fourth in the GI Florida Derby and then Pletcher had to stop on him because of hind ankle issues.“He is doing very well,” Little said. “I would think we would try to get a race into him before the end of the year.”For now, it looks as though Nearly would not be sent to Pletcher's barn until after the Saratoga meet ends. Little said the colt will continue to build some foundation at the farm.The post Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Brown Will Send My Gun’s Loaded To Alabama; Always A Runner To Cotillion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.