From the Spa: July 23 Midlantic-breds in Saratoga stakes

I Spent It wins the 2014 Saratoga Special. Photo by NYRA/Adam Coglianese.

by Joseph Aiello

“From the Spa” returns to keep you up-to-date on horses bred in the mid-Atlantic racing in Saratoga stakes.

Saratoga’s seventh race on Monday, July 23 is the $200,000 Caress Stakes. For fillies and mares four years old and up, the Caress is a 5 1/2-furlong sprint on the turf that has been run at Saratoga since 2012. With a field of ten entries and three also-eligibles, this year’s Caress looks to be very contentious and tough for our 20-1 morning line Mid-Atlantic contender, Ruby Notion.

Ruby Notion is a five year old mare bred in West Virginia by Silverton Hill Farm who is also the owner. Having run in the Caress last year, she failed to hit the board finishing fourth after fading in the stretch run. Since that race, Ruby Notion has only run twice, most recently finishing third in an allowance at Churchill Downs. A positive for this mare, however, is that Florent Geroux is back in the irons for trainer Darrin Miller, the first time since her last win that a jockey has returned for her next try. By Great Notion – Modena Bay (NZ), by Volksraad (GB), Ruby Notion will need to be on top of her game to win her first stakes race since 2015.