Caravel Proves Queen of Keeneland in Shakertown
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Photo: Rick Samuels
Caravel (inside) fends off Bad Beat Brian in the Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland
Could she do it again?
In November, thousands watched as the then 5-year-old mare Caravel demolished a field of males on her way to a wire-to-wire victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland.
Gathered back at the Lexington oval April 8, it was as if the crowds had never left, and time had stood still as the gray mare replicated her triumph at the Breeders' Cup in a scintillating edition of the $319,094 Shakertown Stakes (G2T) for trainer Brad Cox and owners Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel, and Madaket Stables.
"It was nice to see her gutsy performance. She did that in (winning) the Breeders' Cup, and she did it again today. It is very hard once you get headed to come back again, but it was nice to see and I think it bodes well for the future for her," said Sheikh Fahad Al-Thani of Qatar Racing.
"I always love winning at Keeneland. ... It's a fantastic race course, a fantastic atmosphere, and I'm happy to be here."
Off sharply from the gate in the 5 1/2-furlong turf race under Tyler Gaffalione, the now 6-year-old mare was chased by Bad Beat Brian through opening fractions of :21.86 and :44.77, while Artemus Citylimits tracked the pace in third. Around the final turn and down the stretch, the battle ensued between the leaders while Arrest Me Red rallied up from mid-pack to come into contention. At the wire, it was Caravel who put a head in front of Bad Beat Brian to finish the distance in 1:02.58 on firm turf.
"She showed so much heart there. She's a tremendous filly," Gaffalione said. "I'm just lucky enough to be able to guide her around there. (Whether she wants the lead) depends on her break. She's a very alert filly. She jumped well today, so I didn't want to take anything away from her."
Bad Beat Brian was second and Arrest Me Red held on for third in front of Oceanic .
WATCH: Galvin on Caravel's Shakertown Triumph
Caravel ($6.30), a daughter of Mizzen Mast , improved her record to 13-0-3 from 21 starts and increased her earnings to $1,500,877. The Shakertown marked her third straight victory at Keeneland including the Breeders' Cup last out, and the Franklin Stakes (G3T) during the 2022 fall meet.
Bred in Pennsylvania by her initial owner and trainer Elizabeth Merryman, Caravel is out of the Congrats mare Zeezee Zoomzoom .
Fergus Galvin, managing partner of Hunter Valley Farm and United States racing manager for Qatar Racing, said the mare has only improved with age. He bought her at The November Sale at Fasig-Tipton in 2021 from the ELiTE Sales consignment and gave her to Cox to train.
"Brad had a very good point after the race, I think that was her 12th or 13th win and she's never finished second. She knows where that finish post is and that's what matters at the end of the day. ... She's really matured, she's 6 now," Galvin said.
"We've had her back at the farm (Hunter Valley) for the past two winters, the first time after the sale when we bought her, and the second after the Breeder's Cup. She's like a fine wine now and getting better and better."
Caravel and connections in the winner's circle
Galvin says that the big goal ahead is getting overseas for Royal Ascot.
"Sheikh Fahad is a big supporter of Royal Ascot and he's a sponsor," Galvin said. "It's a big event for him every year and after she won the Breeders' Cup last year, we had a chat about, originally she was supposed to be at the sale here at Keeneland and thankfully he waited another year for that.
"When we scratched her, he said, 'Let's have Royal Ascot as our big aim this year.' Our whole early part of the season is going to be geared toward the King's Stand (Stakes, G1) at Royal Ascot."