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Significant Form looks for additional stakes success in Saturday's Caress

by Brian Bohl

Stephanie Seymour Brant's multiple graded stakes-winner Significant Form will look to start her 4-year-old campaign with a second consecutive stakes win in the $200,000 Caress for older fillies and mares on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

One of two stakes on the day, headlined by the Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks on Saturday's 11-race docket, the eighth running of the Caress, carded as Race 10, will see a nine-horse field compete in the 5 ½-furlong sprint on the Mellon turf course.

Significant Form rallied to edge fellow Caress contender Fire Key by a half-length to win the Grade 3 Intercontinental on June 6 at Belmont Park as part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Since emerging with back-to-back wins to start her career in 2017, including a win the Grade 3 Miss Grillo before running fourth in that year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar, the Chad Brown trainee won the Memories of Silver and finished second in the Grade 3 Wonder Again as a sophomore. After running fourth and fifth against challenging competition in the 2018 Grade 1 Belmont Oaks and Grade 2 Lake Placid, the Creative Cause filly ran fourth in the Winter Memories in November at Aqueduct Racetrack before a seven-month layoff.

After returning from more than half a calendar year off and earning a 92 Beyer Speed Figure for winning last month, Significant Form will run back at the Spa for the first time since the Lake Placid, drawing post 4 with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up.

Cheyenne Stables' Factorofwon ran second to Goldwood in the Unbridled Elaine on June 8 at Monmouth Park, marking the fourth time in five starts she had finished first or second in the last five starts for trainer Christophe Clement.

The winner of the 2018 Black Pearl at Santa Anita will be running at Saratoga for the first time since finishing seventh in last year's Coronation Cup.

"She finished second last time in New Jersey and has trained well since," Clement said. "She needs very firm turf. She's quick, so the distance should be no problem."

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. picks up the mount and will break from post 8.

Gold Square's Mrs. Ramona G. has finished a competitive second in her last two races, rallying to finish 1 ¾ lengths behind Goldwood in the Politely on May 18 at Monmouth and second by a length to Uni in the one-mile Perfect Sting in June 29.

Mrs. Ramona G., a daughter of Kantharos, registered a personal-best 96 Beyer for the Perfect Sting. Trainer Jeremiah Englehart said the Caress could also set up a potential spot in the Grade 2 Presque Isles Downs Masters on September 4.

"It seems like she came out of the Perfect Sting in good order," Englehart said. "We kind of had the Caress in mind for her and then maybe the Masters at Preque Isle Downs. So, we're kind of using the Caress as a stepping stone to that race."

Chris Landeros will pick up the mount, drawing from post 6.

Backwards Stable's Fire Key edged Broadway Run by a nose in the License Fee on June 6 at Belmont and will face her again in the Caress. Fire Key, a 6-year-old race-tested daughter of Friesan Fire, has recorded four straight Beyers of 90 or better, including last out when she ran second in the Intercontinental.

Trained by James Ryerson, Fire Key will have Jose Ortiz in the irons out of post 3.

Curragh Stables' Broadway Run will return to Saratoga for the first time since winning the 2018 Coronation Cup. Since then, the 4-year-old Prospective filly has notched three runner-up finishes and a third-place effort in five starts, including second to Fire Key in the stakes last month.

"She's doing great and we'll see what happens this weekend with the heat, but she's been ultra-consistent and she won up here last year over this course, so she seems good to go," trainer John Terranova said. "I don't think the distance is a problem. Cutting back, we know she's capable of this. She looks sharp and ready to go. She's having a good time up here."

Dylan Davis gets the call from post 2.

Morticia defeated allowance company on June 2 at Churchill and will return to stakes company for trainer Rusty Arnold. The Twirling Candy bay has won or finished second in each of her last five starts, starting her 5-year-old year second to Samara by a neck in the Captiva Island on March 9 at Gulfstream before winning the Giant's Causeway on April 13 at Keeneland.

Tyler Gaffalione, aboard for the win last month, will ride again, breaking from post 5.

Rounding out the field is the Irish-bred Miss Gossip, trained by Eduardo Caramori, from the inside post with jockey Junior Alvarado; Mominou, third in the Politely last out for trainer Jimmy Toner, from post 7 in tandem with Kendrick Carmouche; and 7-year-old Jc's Shooting Star, second last out in the Dancin Renee for trainer David Donk, with Manny Franco riding from the outside post.