Caravel gets nod in competitive Goldwood Stakes

The Very One Stakes on May 14 at Pimlico featured an exciting finish, the top three separated by two noses, and they are doing it all over again Friday at Monmouth Park.

Caravel, Gotta Go Mo, and Victory Kingdom comprised the three-way Pimlico photo last month and meet again in the $75,000 Goldwood, a five-furlong turf dash for older fillies and mares. The Goldwood goes as race 5 of six on a twilight card, first post 5 p.m. Eastern. With the temporary turf rail set 36 feet out, field size is capped at eight, and the Goldwood has an octet in the main body and No Mercy Percy as the lone also-eligible.

Caravel only won The Very One by a nose but might be the superior horse in the Goldwood. Trained in Maryland by Elizabeth Merryman, who also bred and owns the 4-year-old Mizzen Mast filly, Pennsylvania-bred Caravel has five wins from seven starts overall and is 3 for 3 in five-furlong turf sprints.

In The Very One, she was somewhat hard to hold while racing in a tight spot along the fence much of the trip and found herself bottled up behind horses at the head of the stretch. When a gap finally opened in the final furlong, Caravel, despite having pulled harder than ideal, burst through it with a good turn of foot and even with the narrow win margin seemed clearly best, quickly galloping out in front. She’s got the rail Friday, ought to be positioned behind the early leaders, and has found a decent spot to ring up another victory.

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Gotta Go Mo did lose some ground breaking from post 10 and racing outside at Pimlico, while Victory Kingdom was making her first start of the year, so both horses are eligible to produce something at least slightly better in the Goldwood.

One also has to throw Miss Auramet into the mix. The Monmouth-based filly, trained by Kathleen O’Connell, won the off-turf Politely Stakes earlier in the meet and is at least as good on grass as on dirt. She’s drawn outside and can get a good, clean stalking or pressing trip.