NYRA/Coglianese Photo

Caracaro breezes easy five-eighths for Kentucky Derby (G1)

by NYRA Press Office

• Come Dancing posts bullet half-mile breeze in preparation for Honorable Miss (G2)
• Vexatious, Everfast breeze in preparation for G1 outings

While Grade 1 Runhappy Travers and Belmont Stakes-winner Tiz the Law pushed his work back a day due to sloppy conditions over the Saratoga main track, Runhappy Travers runner-up Caracaro went back to work on an overcast Saturday morning, recording an easy five-furlong breeze for trainer Gustavo Delgado.

Heavy thunderstorms hit the Capital Region around 8:00 a.m., resulting in sloppy conditions over the main track, but the show went on for the bay son of Uncle Mo, who went the first quarter in 25.60 seconds before finishing off his work in 1:01.02 under exercise rider J.J Delgado.

"We wanted something easy. In his first work after the Travers, we just want to see where we're at," said Delgado's son and assistant Gustavo Delgado, Jr. "Ideally, we'll have [Hall of Fame jockey] Javier [Castellano] aboard next Saturday. We'll see during the week how he comes back from this work and where his energy level is at, but so far, he's doing well.

Delgado said Caracaro is familiar with breezing over a wet track, having worked twice over a "wet fast" track in June at his home base of Gulfstream Park West.

"He kind of likes it. He does well over it," Delgado, Jr. said.

Owned by Global Thoroughbred and Top Racing, Caracaro earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure in his second-out graduation in January at Gulfstream Park ahead of a strong runner-up effort to Country Grammer in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on July 16 at the Spa.

Last out, Caracaro garnered a career-best 101 Beyer when runner-up to likely Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law in the Runhappy Travers finishing 5 ¼ lengths behind the four-time Grade 1 winner.

Caracaro will be Delgado's third Kentucky Debry starter after Majesto [18th, 2016] and Bodexpress [13th, 2019], both of whom arrived at the "Run for the Roses" off runner-up efforts in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

"We've always been Derby dreamers," Delgado, Jr. said. "With Majesto and Bode, we were really trying to qualify for the big race. Bode was a maiden when he ran, and he was in the 21 post. We only needed one scratch and it was [morning line favorite] Omaha Beach. This one has shown so much talent since we got him. His speed figures are improving."

Caracaro will put the finishing touches on his serious Kentucky Derby preparation next Saturday and is scheduled to fly out to Louisville the following day. He will be joined by Bodexpress, who worked five furlongs in 1:01.88 on Saturday, and will likely target an allowance event on Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby undercard.

Bred in Kentucky by SF Racing, Caracaro was purchased as a weanling for $95,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale, where he was consigned by Buckland Sales.

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Come Dancing posts bullet half-mile breeze in preparation for Honorable Miss (G2)

Blue Devil Racing Stable's homebred Come Dancing worked a bullet half-mile in 46.68 Saturday on a fast Saratoga main track in preparation for the Grade 2, $150,000 Honorable Miss Handicap on September 6 at the Spa.

Trained by Carlos Martin, the 6-year-old Malibu Moon mare hit the main track, before a brief but heavy rainstorm, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons as regular pilot, Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, will be at Churchill Downs the weekend of the Honorable Miss to ride Caracaro in the Kentucky Derby.

"We got lucky. We got out there around 7 a.m. She went solo with Irad Ortiz, Jr. who is going to ride her because Javier is out of town," said Martin. "Irad said she was moving sound and happy and, believe it or not, he thought she did that easy.

"She was just cruising. It was something beautiful to see," added Martin. "It's one thing to go quick and then stagger home in 24. She went 12, 12, 11 and change and then 11 and 1. She just does it gradually and so naturally."

Come Dancing established herself as one of the top older female sprinters in the country last year by winning 4-of-6 starts, including scores in the Grade 3 Distaff Handicap in April at the Big A; the Grade 2 Ruffian in May at Belmont; a first career Grade 1-win in the Ballerina in August at the Spa; and a 3 ¼-length romp in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom in September on Big Sandy.

Come Dancing has raced three times this season with her best result coming in a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Vagrancy in June at Belmont. Last out, the dark bay was an even fourth when attempting to defend her title in the Grade 1 Ballerina on August 8.

"He took her back off the pace, which I was fine with, as they were going in 21 and change, and it seemed like she was making that rally on the outside. For a second, I thought she was going to go right by them," said Martin. "She was wide, and I didn't mind that, but Javier said she was getting in a little bit.

"She's a hundred percent sound and was straight as a string this morning," added Martin. "But it looked like in mid-stretch last time she came in a little bit and tried to split horses and then Bellafina came in on her a little bit and she had to check. She found herself in the middle of those horses after being seven-wide. He then took her back outside and she just missed being third."

Martin said he remains confident in Come Dancing's ability to return to last fall's stellar form.

"People may say she's lost a step, but she was beaten three lengths in a Grade 1 and she was wide the whole way with a 92 Beyer," said Martin regarding the Ballerina effort. "I'm not ready to throw in the towel and say she cannot come back to her best form."

Martin said the swift mare could consider defending her title in the Grade 2, $150,000 Gallant Bloom Handicap on October 3 at Belmont or the Grade 2, $200,000 Thoroughbred Club of America on October 3 at Keeneland as they chart a course for their long-term goal of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland.

"If she runs big in the Honorable Miss, we'll have to decide if we want to go to Keeneland and get that prep a month before the Breeders' Cup or if we want to stay home," said Martin. "If she's thriving, I'd think we'd want to keep her in action instead of waiting two months for the Breeders' Cup.

"It's something we'd have to talk about," continued Martin. "She does run well fresh, usually. But if she's sound and doing good and she only has two races left in her career - and she is definitely calling it a career at that point - I'd be inclined to keep her on a once-a-month schedule up to the Breeders' Cup."

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Vexatious, Everfast breeze in preparation for G1 outings

Calumet Farms' Vexatious worked for the second time since upsetting reigning Champion Older Female Midnight Bisou in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign with a half-mile breeze in 49.65 over the Saratoga main track Saturday for trainer Jack Sisterson.

The royally bred daughter of Giant's Causeway, who is a full sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire Creative Cause and half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Destin, beat this morning's rain by breezing early.

"Vexatious worked at 5:30 so it was pretty dark and hard to see," Sisterson said. "It was a typical work for her. She strode out well. She's an efficient mover and switched leads well. I couldn't be happier with her. It was her second work since running and she seemed to come out of her race well."

Initially, Sisterson said he was planning on pointing Vexatious to the Grade 1 Spinster on October 4 at Keeneland, where the conditioner is primarily based, but the veteran mare could take a crack at another champion next out and face Monomoy Girl in the Grade 1 La Troienne on September 4 at Churchill Downs.

"The original plan was the Spinster, which is two months after the Personal Ensign, but now we're strongly considering the La Troienne against Monomoy Girl," Sisterson said. "She's telling us that she's up for it. She's doing better than ever at Saratoga so why take her job away from her? Obviously, the Breeders' Cup is the main goal and you worry about running her back too many times. But she's by Giants Causeway and he was a fighter and battler and she has that trait in her."

Calumet Farms color bearer Everfast breezed a half-mile in 49.33 Saturday under Ricardo Santana, Jr. on the Saratoga main track in preparation for the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego presented by America's Best Racing on August 29 at Saratoga.

The son of Take Charge Indy last raced when besting a first-level allowance field going seven furlongs on August 8, one race preceding Vexatious' winning effort in the Personal Ensign.

"He came out of his seven-eighths race well," Sisterson said. "We had Ricardo breeze him and that was the first time he breezed him on the dirt. He's on go for the Forego."

Sisterson also will be saddling graded stakes winner Lexitonian and multiple graded stakes placed True Timber in the Forego next Saturday. Both horses recorded half-mile works on Friday morning at Keeneland with Lexitonian going the distance in 49.40 seconds and True Timber completing his four-furlong work in 47.40.

"Lexitonian and True Timber worked down at Keeneland yesterday and looked super. All three are doing great so we're excited for next weekend," Sisterson said.