Ruby Notion pulls upset in Caress Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With the uncertainty of a soft turf course and plenty of pace signed on, Monday’s $200,000 Caress Stakes at Saratoga looked like a race potentially ripe for a surprise ending.

Enter Kentucky invader and 27-1 chance Ruby Notion, who rallied from midpack under jockey Florent Geroux to a two-length victory over fellow outsider Chanteline in a scratch-reduced field of nine filly and mare turf-sprint specialists.

Ruby Notion finished fourth after pressing the pace in the 2017 Caress then did not make it back to the races for nearly ten months, returning under the guidance of her new trainer Darrin Miller while based at Keeneland since the spring. A multiple stakes winner on turf and dirt at 2, Ruby Notion had made just two starts on the comeback trail prior to Monday, most recently finishing a late-running third, beaten a head, under allowance conditions at Churchill Downs.

Geroux allowed Ruby Notion to settle within easy striking distance of the pace-setting Girls Know Best before swinging her wide rallying into the stretch. Ruby Notion readily overtook the tiring leader leaving the turn, edged clear through midstretch, then maintained a safe advantage over Chanteline. The latter, never far back, eased out for the drive but proved no match for the winner while easily second best, finishing 4 3/4 lengths in front of the slow-starting Just Talkin. Triple Chelsea, the tepid 3-1 favorite, finished sixth while never a factor.

Ruby Notion, a daughter of Great Notion owned by Silverton Hill LLC, covered 5 1/2 furlongs over the soft track in 1:06.43 and paid $56.50.

“I had confidence all week, I really had a good feeling today,” said Chase Miller, son and assistant to trainer Darrin Miller. “I thought we should have won that last race at Churchill – just past the wire she passed those fillies – and I thought if we were a little closer today she could at least hit the board.

“Florent put her in a great spot and rode her so confidently. She beat some really nice fillies today. It’s something to really encourage us, and hopefully we can move on from here.”

Geroux said the softer turf course likely played to Ruby Notion’s advantage.

“When horses run on this type of ground, it’s just a question of who can handle it the most,” said Geroux. “And it looked like she really enjoyed it out there. I got bumped around leaving the gate in her last race and I was way further back than I was today. I had a cleaner start and she put me right in the race today, so we gained a few lengths right off the bat.”