Susie Raisher Photo

Mominou springs front-running upset in $200K Caress

by NYRA Press Office

Sean Shay's Mominou, racing for the first time in nine weeks, led from start to finish under jockey Kendrick Carmouche to spring a 29-1 upset of Sunday's $200,000 Caress at Saratoga Race Course.

The eighth running of the 5 ½-furlong Caress for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up on the grass was the second of three stakes on a 13-race program.

Mominou's first career stakes victory in five tries made Jimmy Toner the first trainer to win three editions of the Caress. Toner also captured back-to-back editions in 2014 with Free as a Bird and 2015 with Thieves Guild.

The winning time was 1:01.54 over a firm Mellon turf course. Mominou, a 5-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Twirling Candy, returned $61.50 on a $2 win bet.

"I initially looked at it and thought there'd be some speed in the race, which there was. But when I looked at it again, I said, 'She could be the main speed.' The only shot we were going to have was just to go for it," Toner said. "When they turn into the lane, you always [say], 'Here they come.' But she had another gear and kicked in again. I was really proud of her."

Mominou was hustled to the front out of the gate by Carmouche, blazing through an opening quarter-mile in 21.94 seconds while pressed by Factorofwon, and a half in 44.50 as Fire Key assumed the prompting spot in a tightly packed group behind the leader.

Carmouche and Mominou straightened for home in command as her rivals battled for position to mount a challenge, but Mominou had something left in the stretch and pulled clear to win by 1 ¼ lengths over multiple stakes winner Fire Key. Grade 3 winner Morticia, sent off as the even-money favorite in a field of eight, was bottled up in traffic until shaking loose inside the sixteenth pole and finished in a dead-heat for third with Broadway Run.

Two-time Grade 3 winner Significant Form, Miss Gossip, Jc's Shooting Star and Factorofwon completed the order of finish.

"I worked this filly last week and she worked so great," Carmouche said. "Jimmy gave me the option of how I want to ride her and I figured the best way we could win was to take the race to them out of the gate. We broke good and she never relented. She was ready the whole way.

"I brought my mom and dad up from Louisiana for this, so this is extra special," he added. "I have to thank Mr. Toner and Mr. Shay for the opportunity. We've been pretty lucky over the years, and we got a great trip today."

Mominou had not raced since finishing third to multiple stakes winner Goldwood in the Politely on May 18 at Monmouth Park, her best finish in four earlier stakes tries. She improved to three-for-six at the distance and avenged her fifth-place effort as the favorite in last year's Coronation Cup, her lone previous attempt over the Saratoga turf.

Named after the multiple graded-stakes winning mare trained by late Hall of Famer H. Allen Jerkens, the Caress was first run in 2008 at seven furlongs on the turf. Caress, a daughter of Storm Cat, retired in 1996 with a record of 13-4-2 from 29 career starts including victories in the Grade 3 Poker at Belmont Park as well as the Beaugay and Athenia, both Grade 3 events at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Live racing will resume Wednesday with a 10-race card featuring three stakes, including the $75,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice steeplechase race in the opener at 12:50 p.m. Eastern. The New York Stallion Stakes Series Cab Calloway for state-bred 3-year-olds on the inner turf will be contested as Race 7 and the Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap for fillies and mares going six furlongs will be Race 8.