SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Despite bringing a five-race winning streak into the race, Midnight Bisou still had questions to answer entering the 2019 Personal Ensign Stakes. To that point, she had yet to win at 1 1/8 miles or at Saratoga. That afternoon, she came with a frenetic run under Mike Smith to nail race favorite Elate by a nose in what may have been the best race of the Saratoga season. It was one of seven wins from eight starts for Midnight Bisou in a campaign that ended with an Eclipse Award as champion older female dirt horse. This year, Midnight Bisou would appear to have little to prove entering Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign at Saratoga. After finishing second to Maximum Security in the inaugural $20 million Saudi Cup, Midnight Bisou came back with a monster performance winning the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes at Churchill Downs six weeks ago. “She made a middle move kick and sustained that run,” owner Jeffrey Bloom said. “Mike [Smith] wrapped up on her the last sixteenth of a mile so that makes me feel a whole lot better coming into this race and knowing that coming off the Saudi race and the travel that she performed the way she did in the Fleur de Lis, came out of that race better than she went into it, and continues to train even better here. It’s all encouraging, it helps instill confidence. Now we just got to go out there and do it.” Unlike last year, when Midnight Bisou was the second choice behind Elate in the Personal Ensign, she will be a prohibitive favorite against five rivals on Saturday. Her dominant presence prompted New York Racing Association officials to card the Personal Ensign as race 5. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Smith will not be able to ride Midnight Bisou. Ricardo Santana Jr. has been tabbed by Bloom and trainer Steve Asmussen to ride. “Ricky’s worked her a number of times. He knows her really well,” Bloom said. Midnight Bisou will carry 124 pounds, spotting six pounds to the remainder of the field. There is not much confirmed pace readily evident in the Personal Ensign. Vexatious ran well when forwardly placed in the Summer Colony here last year coming within a neck of Blue Prize, who would go on to defeat Midnight Bisou in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Vexatious is coming out of a second-place finish to Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, in the Grade 2 Ruffian last month at Belmont. “She’s shown she can be within a length or two of some of the best fillies around,” said trainer Jack Sisterson, who added that assistant trainer Mark O’Dwyer told him “she’s doing as well if not better than she was going into the Ruffian.” Point of Honor has been a bridesmaid three times in Grade 1 company, including the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama here last summer. She is another who could be compromised by pace, though she is coming off strong runs in the Apple Blossom and Ogden Phipps, the latter where she was beaten a nose by She’s a Julie. Bossy Bride, a starter-allowance-type filly, could be sent to the lead by Junior Alvarado. Motion Emotion, a distant second to Midnight Bisou in the Fleur de Lis, and Abounding Joy, winner of the Iowa Distaff on July 4, complete the field.