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Malathaat to Target Alabama

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat (Curlin), who suffered her first career defeat when second behind Maracuja (Honor Code) as the heavy favorite in the four-horse GI Coaching Club American Oaks Saturday, will be aimed at a likely rematch with that filly in the Aug. 21 GI Alabama S.

“We had a difficult time analyzing the race beforehand and how we thought it might unfold,” admitted trainer Todd Pletcher. “There wasn't a lot of speed on paper and we were in the one post with a target on our backs, so our strategy was to let her run away from the gate and try to establish a position into the first turn, or if someone was to clear us, hopefully move out into the clear.

“Everyone left there with the same intention and by the time we got to the first quarter, we'd gone :23 and 1, which is fine if we could have a little breather along the way,” Pletcher continued. “But as soon as we got on the backside, Irad [Ortiz, Jr. aboard Clairiere] made a move and put pressure on her. She kind of had to fight off the whole field. When you're a heavy favorite in a race like that with a short field, those things can happen. I'm not disappointed with the filly at all. I thought she ran bravely considering everything that was thrown at her off the layoff. If she comes back well, we'll point towards the Alabama.”

Pletcher said CHC and WinStar Farm's Life is Good (Into Mischief), a recent addition to his New York-based stable, could make his next start in the Aug. 28 GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. or in the Aug. 24 GIII Smarty Jones S. at Parx following a four-furlong drill in :48.88 (5/27) at Saratoga Saturday.

“He's a very impressive horse to watch train. He did that well in hand throughout,” Pletcher said of the work. “We'll play it by ear, but we have a couple of options with the Allen Jerkens here and the Smarty Jones at Parx would be a possibility if we needed more time. He's a super talented horse and we're fortunate to have him.”

Unbeaten in three lifetime starts, Life is Good has not started since romping to an eight-length victory in the Mar. 6 GII San Felipe S. for trainer Bob Baffert.

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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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Maracuja May Target Alabama Next After CCA Oaks Win

The flower blanket outside of trainer Rob Atras' barn Sunday morning served as a welcome reminder of what Maracuja accomplished a day prior, when the sophomore filly outdueled 1-5 favorite Malathaat in deep stretch to win the $500,000 Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Spring, N.Y.

Beach Haven Thoroughbreds' Maracuja earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure for her first stakes win, which came when she was the longest shot on the board in the four-horse field at 14-1. It also marked the first career Grade 1 win for Atras, who has been on his own as a trainer since 2009.

Atras said the races earlier on Saturday's card kept him from thinking too much about the CCA Oaks.

“I was busy the first couple of races; we were looking at a couple of horses to claim, so it kind of kept my mind off it,” Atras said. “I didn't get too much time to get worked up. But it's unbelievable; in Saratoga to win a Grade 1, I had so many messages from friends and well-wishers after the race. It felt like everyone was watching.”

Since running second in her debut in December at Aqueduct, Maracuja has finished on the board in four of her five starts in her 3-year-old campaign, including a maiden-breaking win at third asking in February at the Big A and a second-place effort going 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 3 Gazelle in April at the Ozone Park-based track.

After taking the step up in class in a seventh-place Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks finish, Maracuja handled the competition that included Kentucky Oaks-winner Malathaat in a race that traditionally attracts the top talent in the division.

“She's just developed and every race, it seems like she's moving forward,” Atras said. “Her first couple of races, she was a bit green. After she got her wind, she really just blossomed. She's come a long way in a short time. I was really proud of her and really impressed how she bore down and got up like that in the end. To run against a filly as accomplished as Malathaat, it was incredible, really.”

Maracuja could make another summer-meet appearance at the Spa in the $600,000 Grade 1 Alabama on August 21 in a 1 1/4-mile contest.

“If she continues to come out of the race good then I definitely would like to consider that race,” Atras said. “She ate everything up and cooled out good after the race and she was good this morning. It's always a concern when they put in a big effort like that, but so far, we look good.”

The red-and-white floral arrangement, which saw a few petals hit the Saratoga main track on the way to the winner's circle from jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr.'s jubilant celebration, reinforced to the connections that the CCA Oaks was indeed a milestone for the daughter of Honor Code.

“You come in the barn and you realize it wasn't a dream,” Atras said with a laugh. “It was pretty cool to see because everyone was celebrating and it's a team thing. To celebrate with everyone and to see the grooms and hot walkers and exercise riders so happy, it meant a lot.”

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Maracuja a Standout for Beach Haven

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY-Even if she had not pulled off the biggest upset of the still-young Saratoga season Saturday afternoon, Maracuja (Honor Code) would have received a major dose of love from her owners Sunday morning.

The gentle gray is, after all, Beach Haven Thoroughbreds's only horse.

While her status in the stable didn't change, Maracuja's victory by a head over Malathaat (Curlin) in the GI Coaching Club American Oaks no doubt raised her stature in the 3-year-old filly division. She isn't likely to be the longest shot in the field in the GI Alabama S., as she was at 14-1 in the four-horse CCA Oaks.

Beach Haven's managing partner John Sakkos, his wife Tracy and two of their friends stopped at trainer Rob Atras's barn to hug and pet the stable's first graded stakes winner. Tracy had to whisper her words of praise after losing her voice screaming for Maracuja during her run through the stretch.

“When we woke up this morning my wife and I we were still kind of pinching ourselves,” John Sakkos said. “Yesterday was a total high. What she accomplished and who she beat, the processing is there.”

Sakkos was a founding partner of the stable with his friend Ara Aprahamian in 2018 and said he still considers himself a rookie in the business. The Sakkoses live in Tompkins Cove, N.Y. a Rockland County town near New York City.

Beach Haven, named after the New Jersey coastal community, has had a fair amount of success with the four horses it has campaigned. Uncle Benny (Declaration of War) finished second to Line of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the 2018 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and earned a total of $516,738 with six wins from 12 career starts. Beach Haven's Sassy Agnes (Central Banker) and Newly Minted (Central Banker) won a total of seven restricted stakes for New York-breds.

Aprahamian spotted Maracuja at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Satatoga Select Sale and Beach Haven acquired her for $200,000. She broke her maiden on her third try Feb. 21 and followed that success with a second in the GIII Gazelle S. Apr. 3. Twenty seven days later she finished seventh in the GI Kentucky Oaks, 7 1/2 lengths behind Malathaat.

Sakkos said he was feeling optimistic that Maracuja would run well against Malathaat, who had won all five of her races and went off at 1-5 in the small field.

“She's been off for a while after the Oaks, so I was just feeling really good about it,” he said with a chuckle. “You hope that she's going to win, but you didn't want to jinx it. I've gotten a little superstitious in this space right now. I just had a good feeling. And my wife's big into numbers and all these numbers are coming up.”

Sakkos noted that 11 is his wife's number.

“We drove into Saratoga at 11:11, and then we had 22 people for our reservation. It's kind of actually getting to be very superstitious, which is kind of fun,” he said.

Maracuja pressed Malathaat early in the 1 1/8-miles race, but dropped back a few lengths to last under jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. on the backstretch when Clairiere (Curlin) moved up to make her challenge. On the second turn, Santana asked Maracuja to re-engage the leaders and she moved back into contention at the quarter pole. Racing about four wide, she dueled with Malathaat through the final furlong and prevailed.

Sakkos knew that Maracuja was going to pick up some purse money in a four-horse field. He said his expectations grew as the race unfolded.

“When she came out in the stretch, I think my heart kind of just stopped when we were watching it,” he said. “When she came through the stretch and all of a sudden he started moving her a little bit more. Yeah.”

Maracuja has three owners in the Beach Haven partnership. Sakkos said the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to solicit other investors.

“We just went low profile, just went to manage her,” he said. “We've been very blessed with her, for sure.”

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