From the Spa: August 5 Midlantic-breds in Saratoga stakes
by Joseph Aiello “From the Spa” returns to keep you up-to-date on horses bred in the mid-Atlantic racing in Saratoga stakes
Last week’s Jim Dandy gave us a scintillating yet controversial version of Saratoga’s Travers prep, with post time favorite Forte bumping Pennsylvania bred Angel of Empire in the stretch to make room for a late run. After the stewards took a long look at the incident and ultimately upheld the result, Angel of Empire remained in his third place spot behind runner up Saudi Crown and the likely Travers top choice Forte. With yet another tough beat for Midlantic bred runners at the Spa, hopefully this Saturday’s slate is a bit kinder to our entries.
The 96th running of the Grade I Whitney Stakes takes place as the tenth race of the August 5th Saratoga card with four prestigious stakes races on the undercard. A pair of Pennsylvania bred entries will take aim at the Grade III Troy and Grade I Test, looking to avenge Angel of Empire with wins this weekend.
Starting in the Troy is a familiar face in Caravel, who has three races over the Saratoga turf course and two stakes wins in those tries. An accomplished six year old mare amassing nearly two million in career earnings, Caravel is no stranger to the Spa and begins with the lofty morning line odds of 3/5 in this field of eight. Breaking from the four post, this grey mare by Mizzen Mast – Zeezee Zoomzoom, by Congrats will take on the boys much like she did in her Breeder’s Cup Turf Sprint victory this past fall. In the Breeder’s Cup, Caravel was able to grab the early lead and wire the field, upsetting that group at the shocking odds of 43/1. While she won’t be overlooked like that again, it is clear how her improvement since switching into the barn of Brad Cox has taken her racing career to the next level. Cox put an emphasis on Caravel’s forward running style, with returning jockey Tyler Gaffalione typically sending her directly to the front, contrasting her closing kick from earlier races. Now in the Troy, Caravel will need to fend off a few others who have a similar affinity towards grabbing the lead, which will present a tough challenge even as the most accomplished runner of this group. Owners Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel, and Madaket Stables LLC should be satisfied no matter the result, as their mare has exceeded expectations and is still going strong at her age. Caravel was bred by Elizabeth M. Merryman and starts in this five and a half furlong turf sprint for four year olds and up as the sixth race on the card.
The eighth race is the Grade I Test, a seven furlong dirt sprint for three year old fillies which holds an evenly-matched eight horse field. The one entry that initially appears to be an outsider is the 50/1 long-shot Tappin Josie who breaks from the three post. Despite her odds, Tappin Josie is a stakes winner with a solid record in the money and over a quarter of a million in earnings. By Anchor Down – Homemaker, by Afternoon Deelites, this Horacio de Paz trainee has finished no worse than third this year, hoping to take advantage of a pace battle here as one of the deepest closers in the field. Jockey Kevin Gomez has never broken to the lead with Tapping Josie, now stretching her out two furlongs from her last five furlong effort where she broke sixth by ten lengths. Adding to the distance change is her step up in class, mostly running in lower level stakes races and optional claimers. Diving into grade I company could prove daunting, but with the right pace set up, maybe Tapping Josie can surprise here at a big price. Tappin Josie is owned by Darryl E. Abramowitz, and was bred in Pennsylvania by Charles Blanford.
