Robin Sparkles ($44) leads all the way in Caress Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It took a bit of a perfect storm, but in the end Bruce Brown was celebrating the first graded stakes victory of his training career after the speedy Robin Sparkles led throughout to register a head decision over the late-running Souper Sensational in Saturday’s $200,000 Caress Stakes at Saratoga.

The scratch of the speedy Fouette shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday and a slow start by the 2-1 favorite and defending champion Caravel helped Robin Sparkles get loose and relax on the front end during the opening half-mile of the Grade 3 Caress. Robin Sparkles shook well clear in early stretch when roused by jockey Javier Castellano, then had enough left in the tank to fend off late challenges from Souper Sensational, Lady Edith, and the unlucky Miss J McKay.

Souper Sensational raced in midpack but within easy striking distance of the leader, swung five wide commencing his bid leaving the turn, and finished willingly down the center of the course to prove second-best. Lady Edith, who had only one horse beat in the run down the backstretch, rallied belatedly after finding a seam between horses to finish third, a neck in front of Miss J McKay, who got shuffled back and steadied behind Caravel leaving the backstretch before swinging widest and finishing best of all at the end.

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Caravel, wire-to-wire winner of the Grade 3 Intercontinental at Belmont Park in her previous start, broke tardily, briefly rushed to close contention once recovering, steadied back near the inside into the turn and was not abused through the late stages, finishing last of the nine fillies and mares who contested the 5 1/2-furlong Caress.

Robin Sparkles, who ran third after setting the pace in the 2021 Careess, paid $44.00 as the second longest in the field. She completed the distance over a firm course in 1:01.98 and getting a 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

Brown trains Robin Sparkles, a New York-bred daughter of Elusive Quality, for owner Michael Schrader.

“They said yesterday Fouette might scratch and she was still in early this morning and I just said ‘come on,' kind of hoping she’d come out and when she did, that helped us,” Brown acknowledged. “And after the one (Caravel) broke slow and all the other horses were kind of checking behind her, it gave Javier a chance to give her a little breather, and then she just kept going.”

The Caress was Robin Sparkles's third start of the year, both previous outings having come at Monmouth Park. She won the off-the-turf Politely Stakes to launch her campaign on the dirt in mid-May, and was third on the grass after setting a very fast pace last month in the Goldwood.

“She had some bad luck and different things going on and was very in and out last year, but she’s just come back better and better with every start,” Brown said. “The last race at Monmouth was kind of a suicidal pace, but she bounced out of it real good and I think she’s really coming into her own now.”

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