The filly Caravel puts win streak on line against males in Highlander
ETOBICOKE, Ontario—The 4-year-old filly Caravel will take on the boys under Irad Ortiz Jr. in the Grade 1, $350,000 Highlander, a six-furlong turf sprint Sunday on the Queen’s Plate card.
Caravel, who has won 7 of 9 starts, has won turf stakes in her last three starts – the The Very One at Pimlico, the Goldwood at Monmouth, and the Grade 3 Caress with Ortiz aboard at Saratoga. She earned big Beyer Speed Figures of 99 and 98 in her last two outings.
Ortiz was impressed with the turn of foot displayed by Caravel in the 5 1/2-furlong Caress, which she won by 2 1/2 lengths. As she did in all three of her recent stakes wins, Caravel stalked the pace from two or three lengths back and made her move in the stretch.
“The whole turn, she was on the bridle waiting for the time to go,” Ortiz said. “I wanted to make sure to go around the horses like she did at Monmouth. I was able to get in the clear, and as soon as I asked she gave me a really good kick.”
Bobby Flay acquired a majority interest in Caravel prior to the Caress, and she recently switched barns from Elizabeth Merryman to Graham Motion. Both are based at Fair Hill in Maryland.
“It was a private purchase after she won her previous start,” Motion said. “I’m friends with Lizzie. It was something we were able to work out together. She retained a quarter of the filly herself.”
Motion, who’s also running Dance Some Mo in Sunday’s $1 million Queen’s Plate, said he’s tried to maintain the status quo with Caravel, who was bred in Pennsylvania by Merryman.
“I’ve just tried not to change too much with what Lizzie does with her,” Motion said. “I’ve seen her train plenty at Fair Hill. We kept her up at Saratoga after she ran. She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do.”
Caravel is under consideration for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.
Trainer Mark Casse entered Chuck Willis, Old Chestnut, and Turned Aside in the Highlander.
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Chuck Willis is one of several front-runners in the eight-horse field. His four-race win streak ended last time out when he faded to sixth after dueling up front with Silent Poet in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup here.
Old Chestnut had been away from Woodbine for nearly two years when he won a second-level allowance under Patrick Husbands on the main turf here July 18. His other two victories took place on the inner turf here at 2.
Turned Aside never challenged last time after getting sideswiped at the break in the Grade 2 Shakertown at the Keeneland spring meet. He has worked extensively here on the Tapeta in the interim.
Silent Poet, trained by Nicholas Gonzalez, was the leading local turf sprinter in recent years, but he finished a tiring fifth in both his starts at this meeting. Normally a front-runner, Silent Poet breaks from the outside post, and with several speed horses inside of him, he could be relegated to a stalking position.