BC Champ Caravel Beats the Boys Again in Jaipur

How good is Caravel (m, 6, Mizzen Mast-Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats)? The defending GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner skipped the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot and instead stayed closer to home in the GI Jaipur S. at Belmont Park, once again plundering the turf sprint division over males. The $400,000, six-furlong Jaipur is a 'Win and You're In' race for the Turf Sprint and a title defense in the Nov. 4 Santa Anita edition is in the cards for Caravel, reiterated after the Jaipur by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Racing, which owns Caravel with Marc Detampel and Madaket Stables.

In the Jaipur, Caravel broke evenly and tracked in second early, breathing menacingly down the neck of the :22.19 first quarter pace set by 13-1 Nothing Better (Munnings). The 5-2 choice drew on even terms coming off the turn as the timer tripped in :44.80 and drew clear to get the five-furlong mark in a scintillating :56.15. The flashy gray had enough left to hold off a late rush by GSW Big Invasion (Declaration of War), who finished three-quarters of a length in arrears, while defending two-time Jaipur winner Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) was just a neck back in third. The final time was 1:07.23.

The Jaipur marked Caravel's fifth win in a row, third win over males, and second victory at the highest level.

“She's in incredible form right now,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “This is two Grade Is for her against the boys. I don't think I've ever had a filly to beat the boys.

“The Breeders' Cup is our main target. There are some races up at Saratoga but I'm not sure yet how many more times we would need to run prior to the Breeders' Cup. We'll just try to keep her happy and healthy.

“She never ceases to amaze me. She is absolutely amazing. She just never lets you down. She is spot on. I'm very proud of her.”

Originally trained by her breeder, Elizabeth M. Merryman, Caravel won seven of first nine starts, including Saratoga's GIII Caress S. and four other black-type races. Bobby Flay bought into the then-4-year-old in 2021 and she was transferred to the barn of Graham Motion, but she failed to win in three starts and went through the Fasig-Tipton November sales ring days after trailing the field home in the 2021 Turf Sprint. Her current ownership picked her up for $500,000 and transferred the gray to Cox.

Caravel opened her 2022 campaign under Cox with a win in Turfway's Queen S. and added Belmont's GIII Intercontinental S., as well as Saratoga's Smart N Fancy S. after losing a race here and there. She then went on her current tear, beginning with Keeneland's GIII Franklin S. last October. The Turf Sprint was next and her first win over the boys, as well as her first triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure (107). She doubled up on wins over males in her 2023 debut, Keeneland's GII Shakertown S., and dropped back to softer female company for a win on the Kentucky Oaks undercard in the Unbridled Sidney S. at Churchill Downs. With her victory in the Jaipur, Caravel is not only riding a five-race win streak but is also undefeated in 2023.

Pedigree Notes:

Mizzen Mast, a 25-year-old pensioner at his long-time Juddmonte home, is the sire of 63 black-type winners, nearly equal to the average size of his foal crops over 18 seasons. Most of his 26 graded winners and nine Grade I/Group 1 winners have been in the U.S., but he's also responsible for winners at the highest level in both France and Hong Kong. His progeny have won four Breeders' Cup races: Flotilla (Fr) in the 2012 GI Juvenile Fillies Turf, Mizdirection in the 2012-13 GI Turf Sprint, and Caravel in last year's Turf Sprint.

Zeezee Zoomzoom has produced two of the 19 stakes winners out of daughters of WinStar's pensioned Congrats. The mare also has an unraced 2-year-old colt named Enzo (Great Notion)–a full-brother to MSW Witty–and a yearling filly by Street Boss, all, like Caravel, bred by Merryman.

Saturday, Belmont Park
JAIPUR S.-GI, $400,000, Belmont, 6-10, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:07.93, fm.
1–CARAVEL, 121, m, 6, by Mizzen Mast
                1st Dam: Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats
                2nd Dam: Zee Zee, by Exchange Rate
                3rd Dam: Emblem of Hope, by Dynaformer
($330,000 RNA 3yo '20 WANOCT; $500,000 4yo '21 FTKNOV).
O-Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel and Madaket Stables LLC;
B-Elizabeth M. Merryman (PA); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $220,000. Lifetime Record: 23-15-0-3, $1,897,577.
*1/2 to Witty (Great Notion), MSW, $337,460.
Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Big Invasion, 122, c, 4, Declaration of War–Curls in Place, by
Curlin. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($72,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing; B-John O'meara (KY);
T-Christophe Clement. $80,000.
3–Casa Creed, 124, h, 7, Jimmy Creed–Achalaya, by Bellamy
Road. ($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP).
O-LRE Racing LLC and JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs
Stud, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott. $48,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, 1 1/4. Odds: 2.90, 4.30, 3.95.
Also Ran: Dr Zempf (GB), Nothing Better, Ice Chocolat (Brz), Arrest Me Red, Front Run the Fed, Yes and Yes, Thin White Duke, Coppola, Air Force Red, Go Bears Go (Ire), Surprise Boss. Scratched: Mid Day Image, Our Shot.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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High Oak May Go For BC Juvenile Spot In Champagne At Belmont

LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable's High Oak improved to 2-for-2 with an impressive 4 1/4-length score in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for juveniles at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the Gormley bay bid three-wide at the top of the lane under Junior Alvarado, overtaking Doctor Jeff and the runner-up Gunite to stop the clock in 1:16.53.

High Oak closed to win his debut by a neck sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs in June at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., but the bettors let the $70,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase leave the gate at odds of 10-1 on Saturday.

Mott said High Oak ran to his training, including a bullet half-mile breeze in :48.11 seconds on August 7 on the Oklahoma dirt training track.

“We were pleased but not totally surprised,” Mott said. “He had been working quite well and he had run well enough in his first race.”

Mott said he was pleased with how High Oak, who garnered a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure, finished up the race.

“He was determined,” Mott said.

While Mott said he will leave all options open, the next likely consideration for High Oak is the $500,000 Grade 1 Champagne on October 2 at Belmont, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 5 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The win by High Oak completed a Mott-trained double that launched a race earlier when Godolphin homebred Speaker's Corner drew off to a 5 1/4-length allowance score, registering a 101 Beyer.

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With Jose Ortiz up, the 3-year-old Street Sense bay bobbled at the start of the seven-furlong main-track sprint but quickly found his footing to track the pacesetting Mahaamel from third before taking command at the five-sixteenths and powering home in a final time of 1:22.29.

Speaker's Corner graduated at second asking with a three-quarter length score over eventual graded-stakes placed Caddo River and multiple graded-stakes winner Greatest Honour in a seven-furlong maiden special weight in October at Belmont.

Mott said he had hoped to start Speaker's Corner around two turns but was pleasantly surprised at Saturday's one-turn score.

“Visually, he ran good and numbers-wise he ran good. And he came back good, too,” Mott said. “We had entered him in a two-turn race the day before which didn't fill thinking that this might not work out that well for him because I knew there would be some fast horses in there, but we got lucky and it worked out.”

Mott said he had initially hoped to get the lightly-raced colt to the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers slated for August 28 at the Spa but circumstances led to a more patient schedule.

“That's what we were hoping for, but it didn't work out that way. One little setback after another and before you know it, the Travers is upon us,” Mott said. “There's other races and we'll have to make it count somewhere else, hopefully.”

Among a number of options for Speaker's Corner is the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on September 25 at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Penn.

“That would have to be on the radar. It would fit into the timing,” Mott said. “But everything is an option. We try to keep all our options open.”

LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable's Casa Creed closed five-wide to finish third in Saturday's Grade 1 Fourstardave, just two lengths in arrears of the more prominently placed Got Stormy.

The 5-year-old Jimmy Creed bay entered the one-mile inner turf test from a two-length score in the six-furlong Grade 1 Jackpocket Jaipur on June 5 at Belmont.

“He ran a good race. It's hard not to be pleased with his effort,” Mott said.

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Jaipur Rematch in Saratoga’s Troy

Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) looks for his third straight win since turning back to grass sprints in Friday's loaded GIII Troy S. going 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga.

The 2019 GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. winner followed a sixth-place finish in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. Mar. 6 with wins in Belmont's seven-furlong Elusive Quality S. Apr. 24 and the six-furlong GI Jackpocket Jaipur S. last time June 5. The re-opposing Chewing Gum (Candy Ride {Arg}) completed the exacta that day at 28-1 while the speedy and favored Bound for Nowhere (The Factor) tired to third.

“We backed him up to six furlongs and that was okay, five and a half is a bit of a different race on a different type of course,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said of Casa Creed. “It's a tighter course here, so we'll have to see how he negotiates that.”

Imprimis (Broken Vow), disqualified from first and placed third for interference in this race last year, exited a narrow win in Gulfstream's Janus S. Jan. 1 with consecutive second-place finishes in Tampa's Turf Dash S. Feb. 24 and Keeneland's GII Shakertown S. Apr. 3. He was beaten a nose by the aforementioned classy 7-year-old Bound for Nowhere in the latter.

“He's a very good fresh horse,” trainer Joe Orseno said of the 3-1 morning-line favorite. “When he came out of the gate in the Shakertown, he broke a bone in his nose. We took precautions over it, but he's been fine and ready to run. The Troy has been on our radar since that race. I was thinking about the Jaipur and decided to skip it, but he's ready to go.”

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Bound For Nowhere Pointing To Saratoga’s Troy Stakes

Bound for Nowhere, who finished third last out in the Grade 1 Jackpocket Jaipur on June 5 at Belmont Park, will pursue another graded stake on the NYRA circuit for owner-trainer Wesley Ward when he runs in the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy presented by Horse Racing Ireland on August 6 at Saratoga Race Course.

The seven-time winning millionaire broke sharply in the six-furlong Jaipur with some company from fellow graded stakes winners Sombeyay and Gregorian Chant to his outside. Bound for Nowhere maintained command until just past the sixteenth-pole when passed by Casa Creed, who notched a two-length score over Chewing Gum.

While pleased with the effort, Ward said he would rather see Bound for Nowhere convey a late-closing running style which he showed when conquering the Grade 2 Shakertown under Joel Rosario on April 3 at Keeneland.

“From behind I think he's better, especially as he gets older,” Ward said. “As luck would have it, he broke decent. He was kind of smoking out there the first part of the race. I was happy with the way he ran, but I would have rather seen him come from behind. It wasn't Joel's fault, I don't give riding instructions. I was just really happy with the way he rode him in the Shakertown, where he came from well out of it and showed one big punch. I loved that ride.”

Bound for Nowhere, a 7-year-old son of The Factor, breezed an easy five-eighths over the turf at Belmont Park on Thursday morning in his second work following the Jaipur.

“He worked at Churchill the day after closing day along with Golden Pal,” Ward said. “I like to keep them on the grass, so I shipped them to Belmont to work them on the grass at Belmont.”

Ward said Golden Pal will target the Grade 3, $120,000 Quick Call on July 15, Opening Day at the Spa. The son of Uncle Mo, out of 11-time stakes-winner Lady Shipman, last raced when capturing the Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 6 at Keeneland.

Golden Pal also worked five-eighths over the Belmont turf on Thursday morning.

“From what I see with him in the mornings, he's just extremely talented,” Ward said.

Golden Pal finished a close second as a maiden in the Group 2 Norfolk at Ascot last June at second asking. On his return to North America, Golden Pal graduated in style with a front-running score in the Skidmore in August at Saratoga.

Ward said Stonestreet Stables' Campanelle has returned from her recent Royal Ascot conquest in good order.

The Irish-bred daughter of Kodiac crossed the wire second in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup on June 18, but was elevated to first following the disqualification of Dragon Symbol. The victory marked a second straight Royal Ascot conquest for Campanelle, who won the Group 2 Queen Mary last summer at the prestigious race meet.

Campanelle is currently at Keeneland training for her next test which will likely take place in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest on August 8 at Deauville in France. Last year, she captured the Group 1 Prix Morny at the French racetrack.

“She's ready for a work,” Ward said. “We're in a little bit of a pickle because we're mandated to breeze on the dirt. That's her home track and that's where she thrives. Her race is about a month from now in France.”

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