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Caravel streaks into Saturday’s G3 Troy

by Keith McCalmont

Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel and Madaket Stables’ marvelous mare Caravel will take on males for the eighth time in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Troy, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Brad Cox, the 6-year-old daughter of Mizzen Mast is on a five-race win streak that includes taking her last three outings against the boys. Caravel posted winning efforts traveling 5 1/2-furlongs at Keeneland in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November and the Grade 2 Shakertown in April. She bested fillies and mares in the 5 1/2-furlong Unbridled Sidney in May at Churchill Downs before a prominent score against males last out in the six-furlong Grade 1 Jaipur on June 10 at Belmont Park.

“She's been able to beat the boys three out of her last four and hopefully four out of her last five. It would be exciting if she can do it again,” said Cox.

Caravel has won 6-of-8 starts at the Troy distance and boasts two wins from three starts over this course, capturing the 2021 Grade 3 Caress and last summer’s Smart N Fancy. She breezed a half-mile three times over the Oklahoma training turf last month, including a 48.85 effort on Friday.

“They've all been identical - times and everything on my watch. She's doing great and she’s set up for a big one hopefully in the Troy,” Cox said.

By all appearances, the 15-time winner from 23 starts for purse earnings in excess of $1.8 million is actually improving with age.

“Might be,” said Cox, with a grin. “She's doing really good.”

Bred in Pennsylvania by her former conditioner Elizabeth Merryman, Caravel, out of the Congrats mare Zeezee Zoomzoom, is a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Witty.

Caravel will exit post 4 and carry 119 pounds while in rein to regular pilot Tyler Gaffalione.

Patricia’s Hope’s Nobals [post 7, E.T. Baird, 124 pounds] has proven to be a force on turf and synthetic for trainer Larry Rivelli. 

The 4-year-old Noble Mission gelding has banked $783,274 through a record of 15-8-2-0 with his first five career wins on synthetic and his last three on the green, including a breakthrough score in the Grade 2 Turf Sprint on Kentucky Derby Day May 6 at Churchill.

He enters from a gate-to-wire score in the five-furlong William Garrett Handicap, carrying a field-high 125 pounds on July 7 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

"He's getting better and better. I always liked him, but I didn't know if he was this quality until his last two races,” Rivelli said. “We gave him a little time off over the winter and he came back a step better, which is all it takes in these turf sprints. I always thought he was a little better on the Polytrack, but I'm not going to change anything after his win on Derby Day and the race the other day.”

Nobals endured a troubled trip three starts back after missing the break in a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance on April 22 at Keeneland. The public reacted to the uncharacteristic effort by letting Nobals leave the gate at 38-1 odds in his Turf Sprint coup.

“That day when he broke bad, he reared up in the gate," Rivelli said. "I schooled him after that and he doesn't move a muscle in the gate anymore. He broke last that day and that's not his style. He needs to be on or near the lead. That race before he was 38-1 was a throw-out. I expected him to run good in Kentucky, but I just didn't know if he was going to be good enough to beat those types.”

Rivelli will also be represented in this division on Sunday by graded-stakes winner One Timer in the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint at Ellis Park, but he elected to send Nobals here to face the reigning Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner.

"They're pretty similar in style, so I had to split them up and I think he's the better of the two at this particular time. So, we'll see if we can dethrone the queen over there," said Rivelli, with a laugh.

The $3,500 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase has overachieved with stakes wins in the 2021 Arlington-Washington Futurity at Arlington Park and last year’s Turfway Prevue and Animal Kingdom at Turfway Park as well as Woodbine’s Woodstock.

Rivelli said he expects jockey E.T. Baird to engineer a prominent trip from post 7.

“I would imagine we'll be on the lead and see what happens from there,” Rivelli said. “His last few starts couldn’t be any better. I couldn't ask for anything more from the horse.”

Nobals, out of the winning Empire Maker mare Pearly Blue, is a half-sibling to the stakes-placed My First Pearl.

Clark O. Brewster and William and Corinne Heiligbrodt’s graded stakes-placed Cogburn [post 3, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 122 pounds] is undefeated since switching to turf two starts back, entering from rallying five-furlong scores at Lone Star Park in the Chamberlain Bridge in May and the Grand Prairie Turf Sprint on June 24.

The 4-year-old Not This Time colt is out of the stakes-winning Saintly Look mare In a Jif, who is a half-sister to the stakes-placed duo Son of a Nut and Nuttin’ Faster. The $150,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds-in-Training purchase is a three-time winner over the main track, including a close runner-up effort to Lightening Larry in the six-furlong Grade 3 Chick Lang last May at Pimlico Race Course.

Ryan Scott’s Mister Mmmmm [post 6, Luis Saez, 120 pounds] will look to go from claim-to-fame for trainer Jason Barkley after being haltered for $80,000 last out from a winning effort in a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint on June 23 at Ellis Park.

The 5-year-old Speightster gelding boasts a consistent record of 18-5-6-1 for purse earnings of $256,047. He finished ninth in the Grade 2 Shakertown in April, landing 4 3/4-lengths back of the victorious Caravel.

Rounding out the field is the graded stakes-placed Thin White Duke [post 1, John Velazquez, 118 pounds], who closed to finish third in this event last year for trainer David Donk; the Jorge Duarte, Jr.-trained Grooms All Bizness [post 5, Dylan Davis, 122 pounds], who has won his last two starts, including a three-quarter length score in the Get Serious at Monmouth Park - a key race that featured three next-out winners, including Wolf Hill-winner Alogon; four-time winner Ikigai [post 2, Jorge Vargas, Jr., 120 pounds] for trainer Michelle Giangiulio; and the four-time winning Eoin Harty-trainee Remuda [post 8, Flavien Prat, 120 pounds], who is cross-entered in the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint where he drew the outermost post 14

The Troy is slated as Race 6 on Saturday’s stakes-laden card that features a trio of Grade 1 events led by the $1 million Whitney at 1 1/8 miles for older horses offering an automatic berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic on November 4 at Santa Anita.

Completing the Grade 1s on Whitney Day will be the seven-furlong $500,000 Test for sophomore fillies and the $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational at 1 3/16-miles on turf for sophomores. Whitney Day will also include the restricted $135,000 Lure at 1 1/16-miles on turf for older horses. First post on the 12-race card is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

The FOX Sports family of networks will present expansive coverage and analysis of Whitney Day beginning with Saratoga Live on FS2 at 12:30 p.m. Coverage then picks up on FOX SARATOGA SATURDAY which will air from 3-6:00 p.m. on FOX. Saratoga Live will complete the live coverage of Whitney Day on FS2 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule. 

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