Caroline's Girl enters Adirondack off impressive debut score in Texas
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The race was at Lone Star Park and was restricted to Texas-breds. But when Caroline’s Girl went from eighth to first while six wide in less than an eighth of a mile to win her career debut by 8 1/4 lengths, people took notice.
As Caroline’s Girl came to the wire, Lone Star track announcer Jim Byers called her “one of the most impressive 2-year-olds we’ve seen here in a long time.”
Mark Cornett, best known as the co-owner of C2 Racing, was impressed. He quickly put together a partnership to buy the filly. Caroline’s Girl was transferred to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and on Sunday she will run in the Grade 3, $225,000 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga. Now, C2 is not listed among the new owners, which include Bill Simon’s WSS Racing, Jim Grant’s BAG Racing and Rufus White’s The White House Stables. Adam Blick, the original owner of Caroline’s Girl stayed in for 25 percent, Cornett said.
“We were originally going to take a piece but one of the [new] owners wanted more than they originally said so we said, ‘Go ahead,’ ” Cornett said in explaining why C2 is not an owner.
Caroline’s Girl, a daughter of Maximus Mischief, was eighth down the backside of her debut. Going into the far turn, she started picking off horses and by the quarter pole, she was in front and kept on going. Kamikaze’s Cowgirl, the runner-up, did come back to win her next start.
Joseph is just as eager as anyone to see what he may or may not have in Caroline’s Girl.
“For a 2-year-old to make that long, sustained run, that’s one of the reasons Mark bought her,” Joseph said. “Her [speed figures] were solid. The second start is when you recognize what kind of talent they have. She’s very easygoing, very smart mentally. We only had one work in her but it wasn’t supposed to be a revealing work.”
Scarlett Begonia, who won her debut at Ellis Park on July 6, was the first of what is now five 2-year-old winners sent out in July by trainer Brad Cox. Scarlett Begonia, a daughter of Life Is Good, broke sharply, dropped back to be five or six lengths off the pace then came again to draw away and win by 3 3/4 lengths under Luan Machado.
“We liked her a lot in her first run, her two works at Churchill since have been really good,” Cox said. “I think she’ll run her race. I’m not sure what we beat last time, but I liked the effort, how professional she was and how she handled things, the gallop-out and how she’s trained since.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Scarlett Begonia from post 6.
Pierette, a daughter of Girvin trained by Mark Casse for Tracy Farmer, is 2 for 2 with a maiden victory and the Debutante, both coming at Churchill Downs in a six-week span.
“I think both have been very professional,” Casse said. “She was drawn inside, kind of didn’t have enough speed to go early but rallied nicely.”
Washton, a daughter of Mitole, showed guts winning her debut by a nose on May 22, when she was almost put over the rail in midstretch. Washton was entered but scratched from the Schuylerville here on July 3 after skinning up a hock in her stall, according to trainer Steve Asmussen.
Having not run in more than two months, Washton could be in need of a race, Asmussen said.
Trainer Kinnon LaRose has sent out two 2-year-old winners at this meet and seeks his third such win with Stress Relief, who won her first start by five lengths at Churchill Downs on June 20. Horses she beat that day are 0 for 6 out of that race.
Bandmaster, a 34-1 debut winner at Aqueduct; Luminous Beauty, a second-out winner at Saratoga before finishing fifth in the Schuylerville; Prime Aurora, third in the Schuylerville; and Almighty One, a second-out winner at Presque Isle, complete the field.
Trainer Cal Lynch opted to bypass the Adirondack with Harper’s Corner, the impressive 5 1/4-length winner of the Schuylerville, and wait for the Grade 1 Spinaway on Sept. 5.
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