Caress Stakes has Intercontinental flavor

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There are 10 fillies and mares entered in Saturday’s $200,000 Caress Stakes at Saratoga, and handicappers can probably make a legitimate case for backing nearly every member of the lineup in the Grade 3 dash, to be decided at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Mellon Turf Course.

Perhaps the best way to start approaching the Caress is to watch the replay of the Grade 3 Intercontinental run six weeks earlier at Belmont Park. Half the field for the Caress exits that six-furlong test, which has already been flattered by third-place finisher Jouster, who returned to win the one-mile Perfect Sting in her next start while posting a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

Caravel held a narrow advantage at every call before edging away to a one-length victory over the rail-skimming Star Devine in the six-furlong Intercontinental. Trainer Brad Cox said earlier this week that Caravel is doing “fantastic” coming out of the race and expects another top effort from his filly, who seeks to defend the title she won a year ago when she rallied to win the Caress for trainer Elizabeth Merryman.

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Star Devine sat a perfect ground-saving trip just in behind the leaders in the Intercontinental, continued willingly down the lane, but could not gain on Caravel. She does figure to move forward off the effort making the third start of her form cycle while coming off a bullet half-mile work over the Oklahoma turf course on July 8.

Lady Edith ducked out to bump with Tobys Heart at the start of the Intercontinental, recovered to race well placed, but hung a bit after looming boldly a sixteenth of a mile from the wire. The race was her first since being transferred to trainer Christophe Clement’s barn and first since winning a stakes over the Turfway Park synthetic surface more than four months earlier. She, too, continues to train extremely well since her last outing.

Four-time stakes winner Tobys Heart and Miss J McKay took the worst of the trips in the Intercontinental. Tobys Heart lost all chance when bumped, squeezed, and checked after the break, dropping to the rear of the field before swinging wide and passing several rivals racing out near the center of the course down the stretch. Miss J McKay, a multiple stakes winner herself, was hung very wide after breaking from the outside in the 11-horse field and flattened out to finish eighth but only 4 1/4 lengths behind the winner.

Souper Sensational turned in a strong effort making her turf and 2022 debut when finishing second behind the favored Boardroom after setting a contested pace in Woodbine’s Grade 2 Royal North. She returns to Saratoga for the first time since finishing second over the main track in both the Grade 1 Test and Grade 2 Prioress here last summer.

“The distance is a little bit of a concern,” trainer Mark Casse said. “She won’t make the lead with all the speed in this field. She’ll have to stay close here to be competitive.”

Souper Sensational tops a list of fresh faces in the Caress along with Bout Time, who registered a convincing 2 1/4-length victory making her stakes debut four weeks earlier in Monmouth Park’s Goldwood. She rallied off the pace of Robin Sparkles, who finished third after leading to midstretch in the 2021 Caress and projects as the likely pacesetter again Saturday.