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Caravel Passes Robin Sparkles In Stretch To Win Caress At Saratoga

In her last start with breeder and part-owner Elizabeth Merryman as trainer, Caravel bided her time behind front-running Robin Sparkles, went to the outside around the final turn, and then sprinted down the center of the Saratoga turf course to win the Grade 3 Caress Stakes. The win brings Pennsylvania's reigning Horse of the Year to three victories in four starts in 2021.

Under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., Caravel broke well, settling in behind Robin Sparkles and Jakarta, who was running for only purse money after an inadvertent scratch Saturday morning, as the field ran down the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Robin Sparkles, with Jose Ortiz in the saddle, held a length and a half lead going in the final turn, as Irad took Caravel to the outside for her stretch run.

With Jakarta in second on the rail, Robin Sparkles maintained her front runner status through the first part of the stretch, with Caravel sprinting down the stretch to her outside. In the race's final yards, Caravel passed Robin Sparkles to take over the lead and draw away to win by two and a half lengths. Robin Sparkles held on for third behind a surging In Good Spirits, who was second. The final time for the 5 1/2 furlongs was 1:02.38.

Tass, Flower Point, and Jakarta rounded out the field. Caravel paid $4.00, $2.70, and $2.10. In Good Spirits paid $5.70 and $2.80. Robin Sparkles paid $2.10.

Find this race's chart here.

The Mizzen Mast filly went into the G3 turf sprint off of victories in the Goldwood at Monmouth Park and the Very One at Pimlico Race Course, performances that led Bobby Flay to purchase a majority interest in Caravel from Merryman. From here, Caravel will join the barn of trainer Graham Motion.

“Bobby Flay now owns a majority interest in her and we made a plan when he was interested in buying to make that change,” Merryman said after the Caress. “That was something I was in agreement with from the time of the sale of the majority of her. Graham is in the next barn to me at Fair Hill [in Maryland]. It'll all be good.”

“Hopefully, the goal is the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and Graham has so much experience going that route. It seemed like a really smart thing to do from my perspective as well. Not that I don't think I could handle it, but with the change in the ownership, Graham has a system that works great and he's been through all that. It'll be a good way to go. I'll still own part of her.”

“The whole turn, she was on the bridle waiting for the time to go.” Irad Ortiz, Jr. told the NYRA Press Office after the race. “I wanted to make sure to go around the horses like she did last time at Monmouth [winning the Goldwood on June 25]. I was able to get in the clear and as soon as I asked, she gave me a really good kick – a good turn-of-foot.”

Bred in Pennsylvania, Caravel is a 4-year-old gray filly by Mizzen Mast out of Congrats mare Zeezee Zoomzoom. With this victory in the G3 Caress, Caravel has seven wins in nine lifetime starts, for career earnings of $367,872.

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Pixelate Leads List Of Nominees for Pimlico Turf Stake

Godolphin homebred Pixelate, coming off a victory in last month's Prince George's County over the track, is one of seven graded-stakes winners among 28 horses nominated to the $200,000 Grade 3 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup Saturday, July 24 at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The one-mile G3 BWI Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up is one of four grass stakes worth $500,000 in purses on the program, joined by the $100,000 Bald Eagle Derby at 1 ½ miles for 3-year-olds and the $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash sprinting five furlongs and $100,000 Big Dreyfus going 1 1/8 miles, both for fillies and mares 3 and up.

Pixelate posted a third consecutive bullet workout Sunday over the all-weather surface at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., going a half-mile in :48 flat. All three have come since the 4-year-old City Zip colt, winner of the 2020 Grade 3 Kent at Delaware Park, rallied to beat fellow BWI Turf Cup nominee Logical Myth by a length in the 1 1/8-mile Prince George's County June 13.

Also exiting the Prince George's County are Eons, Talk Or Listen, and English Bee, who respectively ran third, sixth, and seventh. Eons, a 5-year-old horse, saw his winless streak extend to 10 races since capturing the 2019 Kent after encountering trouble last out, finishing just a length behind Logical Myth.

Eons' Arnaud Delacour-trained stablemate Talk Or Listen chased the pace in the Prince George's County before fading, though beaten less than four lengths. In his previous start, the 5-year-old gelding ran second by a length to Somelikeithotbrown in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Dinner Party May 15 on the undercard of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes.

English Bee won the James W. Murphy at Pimlico, Grade 3 Virginia Derby, and Parx Fall Derby in 2019 but has been unable to win since, running second in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf and Grade 2 Wise Dan last year. A 5-year-old son of turf champion English Channel, he was also seventh in the Dinner Party, beaten 2 ½ lengths.

Field Pass, trained by Mike Maker, won the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby, the Grade 3 Transylvania, and the Grade 3 Ontario Derby in 2020 and has finished fourth in three of four starts this year, including the G2 Wise Dan last out June 26 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile April 9 at Keeneland.

Mr Dumas, winner of the 2019 Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf, has yet to race since capturing a Keeneland allowance last October. California-based Neptune's Storm made his 2021 debut running second in the June 20 Grade 3 American at Santa Anita Park. Graded wins have come in the 2020 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile and 2019 Grade 2 Hill Prince.

Also nominated are Oak Bluff Stables' 6-year-old Therapist, four-for-seven lifetime at one mile with earnings of $671,865 for New York-based trainer Christophe Clement, fellow multiple stakes winner Rinaldi, owned and trained by James Bond; and Augustin Stable homebred Corelli, who beat Pixelate by a neck in the April 24 Henry S. Clark at Pimlico and was most recently third in the June 5 Grade 3 Monmouth.

Wootton Asset and Doubleoseven, respectively third and fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Kent July 3, are among 20 sophomores nominated to the Bald Eagle Derby. The Kent was the season opener for Wootton Asset, second by a nose in the Laurel Futurity last fall at Pimlico, and the turf debut for Doubleoseven, stakes-placed sprinting on dirt.

Also nominated are Michael Matz-trained filly Line Dancing, third in the Grade 3 Edgewood April 20 in her 2021 opener; Eamonn, fifth in the Kent; Indian Lake, third by less than a length in the 7 ½-furlong Sussex July 8 at Delaware Park; Experienced and Vikram, debut maiden special weight winners for Jonathan Thomas, who also trains Corelli; and Shackled Love, winner of the March 13 Private Terms over Laurel Park's main track.

Line Dancing is also one of 29 nominees to the Big Dreyfus, along with four from Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown – 2021 Grade 3 Endeavour winner Counterparty Risk, Feb. 6 Suwannee River winner Great Island, third in the May 15 Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico; German Group 2 winner Kalifornia Queen and Nay Lady Nay, winner of the All Along at Laurel and Grade 3 Matchmaker in 2020. Speaktomeofsummer, winner of the 2020 Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga, multiple stakes winner Summer in Saratoga, and Sosua, undefeated in three career starts, are also nominated.

The Sensible Lady Turf Dash also attracted 29 nominees including multiple stakes winners Street Lute, who has yet to run on grass; Caravel, bred, co-owned and trained by Maryland-based Liz Merryman, and Jakarta; Ellanation, Dendrobia, Quiet Company, Can the Queen, Introduced, and Spun Glass, the top six finishers from the July 4 Jameela at Pimlico; Gotta Go Mo, second to Caravel in the five-furlong The Very One May 14 at Pimlico; and Miss Auramet, runner-up behind Caravel in the June 25 Goldwood at Monmouth Park.

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Caravel Dazzles In Friday’s Goldwood; Graded Stakes On The Horizon

Owner and trainer Elizabeth Merryman now knows that she has to aim even higher when she decides on the next start for her talented turf sprinting filly Caravel.

The 4-year-old daughter of Mizzen Mast turned in another dazzling – and winning – effort, drawing away with ease to score a 4¼-length victory in Friday night's $75,000 Goldwood Stakes at Monmouth Park.

How good was Caravel in winning for the sixth time in eight career starts? When she flashed across the finish line in a slightly eased-up :54.97 for the five furlongs on the grass she missed the 10-year-old track record by just four-tenths of a second.

“I thought it was brilliant,” Merryman said of the performance by the filly she also bred. “She pulled away like it was nothing. It would be really nice to try graded stakes company with her next. So maybe the (Grade 3) Caress at Saratoga (on July 24). We'll see. With these turf races the weather is everything. She is just a dream. She continues to amaze me every time she races.”

Ridden by Pablo Morales, Caravel broke a tad slow but was able to sit comfortably in fourth early on behind dueling leaders Gotta Go Mo and Victory Kingdom, who ripped off the opening quarter in :20.56. Morales moved Caravel off the rail and outside entering the final turn, with the opening half going in :43.44. He then set her down after Miss Auramet, who was poised to take the lead in mid-stretch over the tiring frontrunners.

But Caravel ran right by Miss Auramet, who was coming off a May 30 victory in the Politely Stakes at Monmouth Park.

“She broke well. I just didn't send her,” said Morales. “I was going to be wherever I was going to be with her because I know she is usually forwardly placed on her own.

“After they sent so hard out of there, showing a ton of speed, I just figured I'd wait a little and get around them and get in the clear because I know how well she finishes. She has a great closing kick.”

Caravel returned $5.80 to win in the field of eight 3-year-old fillies. Miss Auramet held for second, a half-length ahead No Mercy Percy.

Bred in Pennsylvania, Caravel's only two lifetime defeats were third-place finishes on a good and a yielding turf course. She won the Very One Stakes at Pimlico on May 14 in her last start, overcoming traffic issues to do so.

Owner, Breeder and Trainer of Caravel, Elizabeth Merryman gives the thumbs up after winning the Goldwood Stakes at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ on Friday June 25, 2021. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

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Caravel Using Friday’s Goldwood As Springboard To Ambitious Summer Schedule

Elizabeth Merryman isn't convinced she has seen the best from Caravel, a 4-year-old filly she bred, owns and trains.

But she's hoping Friday's inaugural $75,000 Goldwood Stakes at Monmouth Park is another step toward finding out where the ceiling is for a turf specialist she feels will be the best horse she has ever had.

“This race will tell me a lot,” said Merryman. “A month from now there are four filly and mare turf sprints within a five-day period. There's one at Colonial (the Andy Guest on July 26), one at Saratoga (the Grade 3 Caress on July 24), one at Woodbine (the Grade 2 Royal North on Aug. 1) and one at Pimlico. This will give me an indication (of where to go next).

“There's a really good filly in this race (Miss Auramet) who has done nothing wrong that she has not run against yet. So we'll see.”

The Goldwood, set for five furlongs on the grass, has attracted a field of eight and headlines a six-race twilight card. Miss Aurament, trained by Kathleen O'Connell, comes off an impressive win in the slop in the Politely Stakes on May 30 at Monmouth Park. That race was originally scheduled for the turf.

Caravel's credentials, though, stack up with any of the fillies or mares in the race. She is 5-for-7 lifetime with two thirds, with her only defeats coming on a yielding turf and a good turf.

The Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Mizzen Mast-ZeeZee ZoomZoom by Congrats was set to go in Tuesday's Power By Far Stakes at Parx until the race was taken off the turf.

“Her training hasn't been smooth to this race since we were supposed to go Tuesday,” said Merryman, whose 14-horse stable is based at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. “We'll see how she handles the adversity, with everything not being quite right.”

Merryman was convinced there was something special about Caravel from the outset and chose not to rush her as a 2-year-old, allowing her to go through a series of growth spurts before hitting the racetrack.

Her anticipated debut hardly went as planned, however. She broke 10th and last in a five-furlong Maiden Special Weight turf dash at Penn National on June 20 last year. And then something remarkable happened. She rallied from last for most of the race to win going away by 1¼ lengths.

“Not only did she break last, she was steadily dropping back,” said Merryman. “I was watching the race thinking `My gosh, I really like this filly. How can she be this bad? How can I be so wrong?' And then it just clicked for her. It was amazing to see.

“The thing is, she has always been good from the gate. I think she was just caught off guard.”

Caravel went on to win four of her five starts at 3 and is coming off a victory in the The Very One Stakes at Pimlico on May 14 in her second start at 4.

“She has come back a little bigger and stronger,” said Merryman, who has been training since 2004. “She carries a bit more weight now and looks a little more robust.”

A winner of $212,872 from her seven career starts, Caravel drew post position 1 for the Goldwood Stakes.

“The post is not a big deal with her. She kind of dictates what she wants to do,” said Merryman. “You don't have to send her and you don't have to take her back. You just have to sit as chilly as possible and let her tell you where she wants to be.”

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