Saratoga doesn’t open until Wednesday, but yesterday at Belmont Park, trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez, who both set records for most wins last summer at the Old Spa, gave the fans a taste of things to come, teaming to win the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks with the championship-bound 3-year-old filly Ashado.

Running to her 3-5 odds in the mile-and-a-quarter Coaching Club, Ashado shadowed pace-setting Stellar Jayne, who upset Ashado last out in the Mother Goose, through moderate fractions (:24.2, :48.3) over the muddy track. She cruised up to take command on the far turn, shrugged off a brief challenge from Magical Illusion, then drew off to score by 4½ lengths in solid final time of 2:02.2.

“No matter what happens at Saratoga, these are the kinds of races you want to win,” Pletcher said. “[Ashado] was on her ‘A’ game, and when she is, her performance speaks for itself.

“She’s a Grade 1 winner from seven furlongs to a mile and a quarter, one of those super-special fillies you seldom run across.”

The victory was the seventh in 11 starts for the strapping bay daughter of Saint Ballado, including the Schuylerville, Spinaway and Demoiselle as a 2-year-old and the Fair Grounds Oaks and Kentucky Oaks this season, pushing her career earnings past $1.6 million. Next stop is the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 21.

Ashado paid $3.50 topping a $9.60 exacta, with Stellar Jane, after being passed by Magical Illusion at the top of the stretch, coming on again for second.

America America, who ran in the race while in foal, was eased and vanned off making the 27th and final start of her career.