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I'llhandalthecash in rich form for $200K Caress

by Keith McCalmont

VinLaur Racing Stables, Dark Horse Racing Stable and Taste Of Victory Stables' I'llhandalthecash brings winning form into Saturday's contentious $200,000 Caress, a 5 ½-furlong sprint on the Mellon turf course for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at Saratoga Race Course.

The Caress will close out a loaded 12-race Whitney Day card which will feature three Grade 1 events, led by the historic Whitney at 1 1/8 miles with an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 7 at Keeneland on the line. The card is bolstered by the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign presented by NYRA Bets, a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Distaff in November; the Grade 1, $300,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial presented by Runhappy for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs; and the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green for 4-year-olds and up on the turf. The card will be broadcast on Saratoga Live beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern on FOX Sports and MSG Networks.

Trained by Ray Handal, I'llhandalthecash arrives at the Caress from a first career stakes win in the six-furlong License Fee held July 3 at Belmont Park. With Jose Ortiz up for the first time, the often late-running I'llhandalthecash used a prominent trip to get the jump on Caress-rival Dalika to secure a half-length score.

"Jose took advantage last time when the speed to his inside and outside didn't go," said Handal. "He immediately tapped on the gas and put her up in the game early and I thought that was a good move. It was definitely an audible from what we discussed."

I'llhandalthecash stalked and pounced to a smart allowance score in September traveling 5 ½-furlongs on Saratoga's Mellon turf, and Handal said he is hopeful of a similar trip Saturday.

"I know there are horses that are very fast coming into this race," said Handal. "I expect her to sit and track, similar to what she ran here last year when she sat behind the two speeds and made her move. I don't think she'll be too far out of it either way."

The 4-year-old Point of Entry bay, bred in Kentucky by Wynnstay and Jay McKee, made her stakes breakthrough following a series of troubled trips when fourth in November in an optional-claiming sprint at the Big A; sixth in the Captiva Island at Gulfstream Park in March; and elevated to third in an optional-claimer at Churchill Downs in May ahead of the License Fee.

"It was great that she could finally breakthrough in stakes company," said Handal. "She's been hampered by circumstances the last few races going back to last fall at Aqueduct with Joel [Rosario] up when she was making a run and he was loaded with horse and I could see him debating going inside or outside. He tried to save ground and ended up getting stopped and was beat by two lengths that day. Off the break at Gulfstream, she was lugging in and just got going late and then galloped out past the field. What happened at Churchill was really unfortunate. Last time, she finally got that good clean trip and showed us that she is the horse that she's been in the morning and that we thought she could always be."

Handal said the strapping filly is training well since moving upstate, including a half-mile breeze in 51.46 seconds on the Oklahoma training turf on July 26.

"She's improving with every start, including physically coming from her 3-year-old to 4-year-old season. She's getting bigger and stronger," said Handal. "She was a big stout horse as a 3-year-old and she's grown into that big body of hers. I'm happy with where she's at. 

"Horses do well up here," added Handal. "The mornings are cooler and I don't know if it's the air or the water, but they all seem to do better once we get up here. She's moved forward and were excited about Saturday."

Ortiz retains the mount from post 2.

Trainer Al Stall, Jr., who will saddle Tom's d'Etat as the morning-line favorite in the Grade 1 Whitney, will be hoping for an early trip to the winner's circle with Bal Mar Equine's 4-year-old Dalika.

The Pastorius grey launched her career in her native Germany for trainer Peter Schiergen before joining Stall, Jr. for a sophomore campaign that included a nine-furlong allowance win at Churchill Downs. Competing exclusively at distances of a mile or greater in 2019, she finished second in the Riskaverse at the Spa and second in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere in November at Churchill Downs.

Dalika made a winning seasonal debut in May at Churchill Downs when sprinting 5 ½-furlongs off a nearly five-month layoff. Stall, Jr. said the move to turf sprinting was a byproduct of the lengthy layoff.

"She can be a little rank with a slow pace, pull too hard and get her head up a bit. On the comeback from her layoff we decided to sprint her and see how it goes," said Stall, Jr. "She was relaxed early in the race and didn't fight the rider because the pace was 22 and change. He gathered her up, found a path to run and she just exploded. We like to see that finish."

Last out, Dalika rallied from last-of-eight to finish second behind I'llhandalthecash. Stall, Jr. said a clean trip is the key to a winning effort in full field turf sprints.

"It's just about having the right trip," said Stall, Jr. "It will be a fairly full field and she won't be on the lead, she'll sit back and come running where she can save ground. She's doing fine and I feel like she'll fire, but in these races the winner has the right trip."

Rosario has the call from post 7.

Getmotherarose, a bay daughter of Get Stormy trained by Tom Bush for the Mary Abeel Sullivan Revocable Trust, enjoyed a solid sophomore season with a record of 9-4-0-1, while racing mostly in allowance company following her maiden claiming score in June 2019. This year, the talented bay has raced exclusively in stakes company including a breakthrough win in the Grade 3 Honey Fox in February when travelling one mile on the Gulfstream Park turf.

Two starts back, in the Grade 3 Intercontinental at Belmont, Getmotherarose never got untracked when ninth but she returned in the six-furlong License Fee with a good fourth following an awkward start.

She will emerge from the inside post under Jose Lezcano.

Gainesway Stable, Barry Hall, Barry Lipman, Mark Mathiesen and Andrew Molasky's Grade 1-placed Mother Mother, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, will make her turf debut.

The 4-year-old Pioneerof the Nile bay finished second in the 2018 Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in her second career start and subsequently captured the Rags To Riches at Churchill Downs in October 2018.

Winless in five sophomore starts, that included a second in the Grade 3 Beaumont at Keeneland and a third in the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita, Mother Mother opened her 2020 campaign with a win in the Kalookan Queen in January at Santa Anita.

After making her last two starts on the Belmont dirt when fourth in both the Harmony Lodge and Grade 2 Ruffian, Mother Mother breezed a swift half-mile in 48 flat on the Oklahoma turf on July 26.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the call from post 6.

Rounding out the field are Sweet Bye and Bye [post 3, Tyler Gaffalione], Introduced [post 4, Manny Franco], Jakarta [post 5, Luis Saez], Saratoga Treasure [post 8, Eric Cancel], Cariba [post 9, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], and Miss Gossip [post 10, Junior Alvarado].

The Caress is slated as Race 12 on Saturday's 12-race card, which offers a first post of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.