Caravel Seeks Sixth Straight Victory in Troy Stakes

It's easy to overlook a grade 3 turf sprint on a card with three grade 1 stakes, but it's impossible to ignore the star power in the $300,000 Troy Stakes (G3T) on the Aug. 5 card at Saratoga Race Course.

Last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) winner Caravel  will chase a sixth straight win when the 6-year-old Pennsylvania-bred mare tops a field of eight in the sprint for older horses over the Spa's Mellon Turf Course.

"We're very pleased with what we are seeing from her," trainer Brad Cox said. "She's been super solid and very consistent since last fall. I don't know if she needs to get any better than she is now. That's the bottom line."

Owned by Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel, and Madaket Stables, the daughter of Mizzen Mast  skyrocketed to prominence when she captured the Turf Sprint at 42-1 odds, beating males in a race that she finished 12th in a year earlier.

Since then she started 2023 beating boys again in the Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland before a victory over distaff rivals in the Unbridled Sidney Stakes at Churchill Downs. 

Most recently, she faced males again and turned in one of her best efforts, notching her second grade 1 win June 10 in the Jaipur Stakes (G1T), beating multiple grade 1 winner Casa Creed , the victor in the two previous editions of the top-level six-furlong stakes at Belmont Park.

Saturday's race at the Spa, where Caravel has won two of her three starts, will be at 5 1/2-furlongs; 10 of her 15 wins in 23 career starts have come at distances shorter than six furlongs.

Cox said a return trip to the Breeders' Cup is the year-end goal for the $1.8 million earner and that a start at either Keeneland or Aqueduct Racetrack would be the likely stepping stone for a trip to Santa Anita Park for the Nov. 4 World Championships.

Bred by Elizabeth Merryman, Caravel raced for Merryman, who trained her, and Bobby Flay until she was sold for $500,000 through the ELiTE consignment at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale.

The main rival on Saturday figures to be Patricia's Hope's Nobals , winner of the $500,000 Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs two starts ago. Trained by Larry Rivelli, the Noble Mission  gelding was victorious in the William Garrett Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis in his last start.

Godolphin's homebred Remuda , who is also entered in the Aug. 6 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint Stakes at Ellis Park, will be making his stakes debut after a June 16 allowance optional claiming win at Laurel Park for trainer Eoin Harty.

Clark Brewster and Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Cogburn  will also be chasing a third straight win after a pair of stakes victories at Lone Star Park. The 4-year-old Not This Time   colt, trained by Steve Asmussen, took the Grand Prairie Turf Sprint Stakes and the Chamberlain Bridge Stakes in his last two starts.