Caramel Swirl's rally catches Joy's Rocket at wire in Raven Run
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Caramel Swirl finally edged past a stubborn Joy’s Rocket when notching her first stakes triumph Saturday in a thrilling 23rd running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland.
After rating in mid-pack in a field of 11 3-year-old fillies for much of the seven-furlong trip, Caramel Swirl rallied steadily down the center of the track, poking her head in front just as she and Joy’s Rocket passed under the wire. Ridden by Junior Alvarado, the Godolphin homebred filly was making amends for a fourth-place finish as an odds-on favorite in her prior start, the Aug. 27 Charles Town Oaks.
“Neither of them wanted to lose the race,” Alvarado said.
Before a sold-out crowd of about 20,000, and under mostly cloudy skies, Joy’s Rocket, a 24-1 shot ridden by Julien Leparoux, had raced a bit closer to a hotly contested pace before swinging out for the drive in midstretch, where she and Caramel Swirl raced closely together when matching strides in a two-horse duel.
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It was another two lengths back to Cilla in third, with Shalimar Gardens another four lengths back in fourth.
Caramel Swirl, a Union Rags filly trained by Bill Mott, had won two of her four prior starts, including a 10-length maiden win here in April. She paid $8.60 as second choice after finishing in 1:23.42 over a fast track.
“She’s very honest, a very class filly,” Alvarado said. “She did everything I needed her to do. She made my job easy today.”
A second Mott trainee, Obligatory, was no threat when finishing sixth as the 5-2 favorite. Souper Sensational, the 7-2 third choice, also was no real factor when fifth.
The $2 exacta (8-2) paid $172.60, the $1 trifecta (8-2-7) returned $752.50, and the 10-cent superfecta (8-2-7-1) was worth $1.135.21.
He’smyhoneybadger ($14.60) wins Perryville
An hour or so earlier, He’smyhoneybadger also was narrowly best in a head-bob over longshot Ram when he, too, earned his first stakes victory in the $150,000 Perryville, the male counterpart to the Raven Run.
Seventh of nine in the early going before rallying off a hot pace, He’smyhoneybadger and jockey Florent Geroux surged past favored Pipeline in deep stretch before holding off a late rush from Ram, a 23-1 shot ridden by Rafael Bejarano for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, to prevail by a head.
He’smyhoneybadger, trained by Brad Cox for Steve Landers, paid $14.60 as fourth choice after finishing in a stakes-record 1:23.75 for the seven-furlong distance. The Daredevil colt now has four wins and three seconds from 10 career starts.
“I didn’t know if I won or not,” Geroux said. “We just found a nice rhythm and started picking up horses. He showed a lot of grit and determination down the lane.”
Pipeline, the 17-10 favorite, was just a neck behind Ram in third, while Soup and Sandwich, the 3-1 second choice making his first start since a 19th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby, faded badly to finish last and was found to have bled afterward.
The $2 exacta (4-3) paid $194.80, the $1 trifecta (4-3-6) returned $346.40, and the 10-cent superfecta (4-3-6-7) was worth $516.74.