Taking Stock: Caravel’s Merryman Legacy

The game is getting smaller and the bigger players are getting larger. That's how it seems, anyway, whether you're talking about owners, breeders, trainers or stallions.

For example, Saturday's sire of the moment was Juddmonte's European-based Frankel (GB). His G1 Epsom Derby-winning son Adayar (Ire) impressively won the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot for owner/breeder Godolphin, becoming the first 3-year-old since Frankel's sire Galileo (Ire) 20 years ago to land the prestigious double.

One of the best stallions in the world, Frankel stands for £175,000 and is patronized by high-end breeders like Godolphin, which also races Frankel's G1 Irish Derby winner Hurricane Lane (Ire). Two weeks ago, Hurricane Lane won the G1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp, giving his sire the two best European 3-year-old colts of the season and Godolphin an embarrassment of riches. Godolphin is also enjoying a banner season in North America with such as Maxfield (Street Sense), Essential Quality (Tapit) and Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) among many others.

It's much the same story if you substitute the “Godolphin” name with Coolmore, Juddmonte, WinStar, or several other prominent ownership groups, just as you can count on two hands the high-profile super trainers that condition most of the top horses or the elite group of stallions that have cornered the market on the best mares in the world to get the drift that racing is indeed becoming exclusively a sport for the “kings” of the game.

That's why it's always refreshing to see success for smaller players on a big stage. These days, it's rare, but it happens.

Juddmonte's Kentucky-based Mizzen Mast, a still-active 23-year-old who stands for a fraction of Frankel's fee and is far removed from the height of fashion, also was represented by a graded winner on Saturday when the 4-year-old Pennsylvania-bred filly Caravel won the Glll Caress S. on turf at Saratoga. The Caress obviously isn't as glamorous a race as the one Adayar won, but it was a triumph for a segment of the game that's quickly disappearing. The filly was bred and is co-owned by her trainer Elizabeth Merryman, who comes from a Maryland racing family that's been breeding and training homebreds for decades.

Mizzen Mast, who stands for $7,500, began his racing career in Europe, where he was a notch below the best of his generation. He was second in the Grand Prix de Paris, the race Hurricane Lane won, but he didn't find success at the highest level until he was transferred to California and won the Gl Malibu S. at Santa Anita on the dirt. Ironically, as a stallion he gets his best runners on turf, and seven of his eight Grade I/Group 1 winners (excluding one in Peru) have performed at that level on grass. In that sense, Caravel is running true to form, and she's reportedly being aimed for the Gl Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. If that sounds ambitious, keep in mind that several fillies have won the race, including two-time winner Mizdirection, who also was sired by Mizzen Mast.

From what I've read, Merryman got Caravel's dam Zeezee Zoomzoom (Congrats) for free after she was done racing. The mare's lone win had come in a one-mile maiden special on the turf at Saratoga, and Merryman sent her, sight unseen, to be covered by grass specialist Mizzen Mast, a friend of small owner/breeders because he gets runners at an affordable fee. Caravel was foaled at her breeder's farm in Pennsylvania.

Merryman acquired her skills naturally and from an early age. Her parents were the late John B. and Katharine “Kitty” Merryman, longtime Maryland owner/breeders who owned the 500-plus acre The Orebanks, a farm near Sparks, MD, where they raised six kids, along with horses and cattle. Her father once headed the Maryland Horse Breeders' Association, and her parents bred and raced the decorated Maryland-bred filly Twixt (Restless Native) in the 1970s with relative Mrs. John Franklin, in whose colors she ran.

Twixt was bred by the Merrymans from an inexpensive mare and was sired by an Alfred Vanderbilt-bred and -owned son of Native Dancer who'd made only three starts (no stakes) and was standing at his owner's Sagamore Farm for $1,000.

I was a kid following racing during this period and was fortunate to see the popular Twixt race several times. All told, she won 26 races from 70 starts, including the Gl Top Flight H., and earned $619,141. She was trained by Katy Voss (who owns Chanceland), Elizabeth Merryman's oldest sister. Of the Merrymans' six kids, five became trainers at one time or another, mostly starting out with their parents' stock.

Back then, this wasn't as rare as it now seems. There were plenty of folks like the Merrymans in the Mid-Atlantic region with similar backgrounds–educated, somewhat preppy, frequently WASPy–whose lives revolved around horses and livestock, whether it was showing ponies, riding hunts, timber racing or racing on the flat. It's a world in which horsemanship was crafted from the bottom up, and horses were developed with patience, because racing them, instead of selling them as yearlings, was the priority. It's why Katy Voss could seamlessly take Twixt to the biggest of stages and compete against the best trainers of the era, just as Elizabeth Merryman has now done with Caravel at Saratoga.

Like Twixt, who was unraced at two and brought along patiently, so too was Caravel. Merryman, who trained Caravel at Fair Hill, started her five times last year at three, winning four sprint races with the filly, all in the Mid-Atlantic region at Penn National and Presque Isle in races on turf or all-weather. Caravel made one start at Pimlico, in the Listed Hill Top S., in which she was third in her lone start at a mile and a sixteenth on turf, but the filly won two black-type races on the all-weather at Presque Isle.

Once Merryman had established that sprinting on turf or all-weather was Caravel's metier, the trainer has honed that aspect of the filly's game and gradually upped the level of competition, culminating in her first graded win on Saturday–her fourth start of 2021. To date, Caravel has won seven of nine starts and earned $367,872, with her best days seemingly still to come.

This is a pattern of development that's rarely seen nowadays because the focus of many, it seems, is on the now instead of the future. You see it all the time with trainers quick to jump young well-bred maiden winners into graded black-type races to enhance value as quickly as possible, sometimes to the detriment of development.

As it turns out, Merryman has been rewarded for her patient approach with Caravel, because chef and high-end collector Bobby Flay purchased a reported 75% of the filly prior to the Caress, and she ran in his silks. Caravel, with Merryman's blessing, has now been moved to Graham Motion's barn to prepare for a possible tilt at the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

Wanamaker's

Elizabeth Merryman's daughter Liza Hendriks is a graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start program and is co-founder of the monthly online auction site Wanamaker's, which debuted last year. I have no idea what Flay paid for his interest in Caravel, but the filly was available for purchase on Wanamaker's last October before her run in the Hilltop S. She didn't find a buyer and was unsold for a $330,000 RNA–a bargain in retrospect.

As a family, the Merrymans have been strong supporters of Wanamaker's, with Chanceland, Katy Voss's farm, and Ann Merryman (another trainer and sister to Katy Voss and Elizabeth Merryman who races as The Orebanks) also consignors on the site. I've been a longtime fan of Ann Merryman's Twitter page (the handle, @Orebanks, is a paean to the farm where it all began for her parents), but that aside, it's notable that she sold her homebred gelding Fiya (Friesan Fire) to Robert Masiello last July on Wanamaker's for $400,000. Fiya has since won four of five starts for Masiello, including the Maryland Million Turf Sprint H. and the Claiming Crown Canterbury S., and most recently Fiya won an allowance/optional claimer at Belmont on July 4.

 

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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Caravel Gets First Graded Stakes Win, Will Target BC Turf Sprint

Caravel, the reigning Pennsylvania-bred Horse of the Year, made the grade with a sweeping stretch-run move to capture Saturday's $200,000 Grade 3 Caress, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Bred, trained, and co-owned by Elizabeth Merryman in partnership with Bobby Flay, the 4-year-old Mizzen Mast gray provided her conditioner with her first win at Saratoga and first graded stakes win.

Flay purchased a majority stake in the filly following her impressive score in the five-furlong Goldwood in June at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. Caravel will be conditioned by Graham Motion going forward.

“It was pretty great. A really fun, memorable day and a great way to wrap up my stint as her trainer. It was a lot of fun,” Merryman said. “She seems like she came out of the race very well. She's a little tired after shipping up and running but I'm pleased with how she came out of it.”

Caravel, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up for the first time, settled in third position as Robin Sparkles set a swift pace. Angled into the clear for the stretch run, Caravel rallied by her rivals with a powerful turn-of-foot to secure the 2 1/2-length win and a 97 Beyer.

“Irad rode a picture-perfect race as he is known to do,” Merryman said. “She's pretty fast when she gets the cue to go. She's learned that she needs to settle and wait for the cue and that's really helped her running style.”

The year-end goal for Caravel is the five-furlong $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 6 at Del Mar. Merryman said the abbreviated distance shouldn't be an issue.

“She just ran at Monmouth going five furlongs in 54 and 4, so I think it shouldn't be a problem,” Merryman said. “The main problem at Del Mar will be that many horses and traffic. She certainly will go through a hole that doesn't exist. If you're going to be a really good turf sprinter, you have to have the courage and moxie to be willing to go through spots where you have to make your own room.”

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Caravel Captures the Caress

Caravel (Mizzen Mast) carried the colors of her breeder, trainer and now co-owner Elizabeth Merryman to six victories in her eight previous starts. Irad Ortiz climbed aboard Caravel sporting the silks of her new part-owner Bobby Flay for this Saratoga debut and she took her career to the next level with a decisive score in the GIII Caress S. Saturday.

Backed to even-money favoritism off a pair of stakes wins, Caravel was away well from her rail draw and settled to track from third off pacesetting New York native Robin Sparkles (Elusive Quality), who zipped through a :21.64 first quarter. Robin Sparkles turned for home in front with Jakarta (Bustin Stones)–who was only running for purse money–just off her flank and Caravel ranging up in the three path. Caravel found another gear in mid-stretch, powering past the leader to win going away. In Good Spirits (Ghostzapper) rallied late to be second and Robin Sparkles held third.

“The whole turn, she was on the bridle waiting for the time to go,” Ortiz said. “I wanted to make sure to go around the horses like she did last time at Monmouth [winning the Goldwood 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.”

“I don't know if she's improved, but I think people understand how she needs to be ridden, and the trip is better now,” Merryman said. “I said to [Irad Ortiz, Jr.] just be as quiet as you can leaving the gate because the least twitch of the reins and she's going. It's pretty amazing. You watch Saratoga and just think it's the place to be. To come up here with a filly like that, it's amazing.”

With Flay now the majority owner, Caravel will be transferred to Graham Motion following this victory.

“He's watched her train pretty much every day. He's just been so nice and classy and sweet about her,” Merryman said of 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. 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.”

She continued, “Hopefully, the goal is the [GI] 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.”

Opening her account with a trio of victories, including the Lady Erie S. last summer, Caravel checked in third in that Pimlico's Hilltop S. in October and returned to winning ways in the state-bred Malvern Rose S. back at Presque Isle Oct. 22. Third in Belmont's License Fee S. Apr. 30, the PA-bred rallied to victory in The Very One S. in Baltimore May 14 and romped in Monmouth's Goldwood S. June 25.

Pedigree Notes:

Caravel is the 24th graded winner for Mizzen Mast and one of 61 black-type scorers by that Juddmonte sire. The winner is the first foal out of Zeezee Zoomzoom, a daughter of SW & MGSP Zee Zee (Exchange Rate). Her 3-year-old filly Tipsy Chatter (Bourbon Courage) broke her maiden earlier this year for Merryman. The 9-year-old mare is also responsible for an unraced juvenile gelding named Witty (Great Notion), a yearling colt by Holy Boss and a 2021 colt by Great Notion. Zeezee Zoomzoom was bred back to Street Boss.

Saturday, Saratoga
CARESS S.-GIII, $200,000, Saratoga, 7-24, 4yo/up, f/m, 5 1/2fT, 1:02.38, fm.
1–CARAVEL, 122, f, 4, by Mizzen Mast
                1st Dam: Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats
                2nd Dam: Zee Zee, by Exchange Rate
                3rd Dam: Emblem of Hope, by Dynaformer
   1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($330,000 RNA 3yo '20 WANOCT).
O-Bobby Flay & Elizabeth M. Merryman; B/T-Elizabeth M.
Merryman (PA); J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $110,000. Lifetime Record:
9-7-0-2, $367,872. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–In Good Spirits, 118, f, 4, Ghostzapper–Mon Arch Lass, by
Arch. ($200,000 Ylg '18 FTSAUG). O-Bal Mar Equine, LLC;
B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Albert M.
Stall, Jr. $40,000.
3–Robin Sparkles, 120, f, 4, Elusive Quality–My Sparky, by
Dehere. ($30,000 Ylg '18 SARAUG). O-Michael Schrader;
B-Hibiscus Stables (NY); T-Bruce R. Brown. $24,000.
Margins: 2HF, HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.00, 9.00, 1.30.
Also Ran: Tass, Flower Point, Jakarta. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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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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