Future Is Now beats the crowd in Caress Stakes
?q=100)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A clean, outside trip under Paco Lopez enabled Future Is Now to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Caress Stakes at Saratoga one month after a troubled inside trip cost her a chance to win the Intercontinental Stakes.
Breaking from post 7 in this nine-horse field of female turf sprinters, Future Is Now was able to stalk the pacesetting Twirling Candy through a fast half-mile of 43.59 seconds. She had to work until deep inside the sixteenth pole before wresting the lead from Twirling Candy, then held off a host of pursuers to win by a half-length.
In a blanket finish for the minor awards, Zeitlos got second by a neck over Time to Dazzle, who was a nose better than Twirling Queen. It was another nose to Kairyu and Pandora’s Gift who dead-heated for fifth. Toupie, Pipsy and Obstreperous completed the order of finish.
Future Is Now and Lopez had to withstand a claim of foul from Dylan Davis, the rider of Time To Dazzle for alleged interference at the quarter pole. The stewards disallowed the foul claim and, as it turned out, Davis’s beef, if he had one, was with Pipsy.
The win was the ninth from 17 starts and sixth in a stakes for Future Is Now, a 5-year-old Maryland-bred daughter of Great Notion owned by The Estate of Robert Johnson and trained by Michael Trombetta.
“She’s been a gem,” Trombetta said. “She’s easy to train, does everything right, and she shows up almost every time.”
The smallest of issues can derail a horse’s chances in a turf sprint. In the Intercontinental, Future Is Now was inside and had to check off heels early on. She had room along the inside in the stretch, but she switched back to her left lead in the stretch in trying to run down Pipsy, losing by a half-length.
Lopez said he was happy to have the outside draw Saturday and there were no issues during the running of the race.
“Much better,” Lopez said. “The last time I had inside position and I have a choice to go out, I had to go in. She’s not the same filly on the inside as she is on the outside.”
Lopez did say he was hoping to get Future Is Now covered up, but only Twirling Queen showed early speed.
“Nobody wanted to go, I let her go, sit second and she was comfortable,” Lopez said.
Future Is Now covered the 5 1/2 furlongs over firm ground in 1:01.06 (99 Beyer Speed Figure) and returned $6.40 to win.
“It all goes by so quick, that’s a very fast horse race, those races are over before you know it,” Trombetta said. “I knew they’d be coming late, but I’m glad to see her hold on.”
Future Is Now is likely to follow the same campaign as she did last year with the $150,000 Smart N Fancy here on Aug.15 likely the next target, followed by the Grade 2 Franklin Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 12.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.