Cavorting Still Perfect at Spa After Prioress
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Stonestreet Stables' Cavorting kept her record in graded stakes at Saratoga Race Course unblemished Sept. 6 with a commanding victory in the $300,000 Prioress Stakes (gr. II).
The 3-year-old Bernardini filly sat in sixth entering the turn in the six-furlong Prioress, went five wide at the top of the stretch, and blew by the front-runners to win by three lengths under Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Bar of Gold, who ran second to Cavorting last time out in the Longines Test Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 8 at Saratoga, rallied late to finish second but never really challenged the winner. Longshot Fusaichi Red won a photo for third 2 3/4 lengths back
"She loves it up here at Saratoga, as we all do, but she's 3-for-3 up here, so this was great," winning trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. "She was sitting close from the start and there was enough speed up front, so it worked out well. We'll train her up to the Breeders' Cup from here because she likes a little more space between races."
Cavorting broke on top from post 10, but Ortiz relaxed the filly and guided her to a stalking trip, three lengths back, while Ekati's Phaeton set fractions of :22.35 and :45.37 through a half-mile. A wall of four horses vied for the lead coming out of the turn, but Cavorting angled out, kicked clear, and hit the wire in 1:09.47.
"Last time she broke a little slow, but we were confident in the filly," Ortiz said. "Kiaran said, 'Let her break and be wherever she's comfortable.' She broke sharp, so that helped me. I let the speed go and followed the speed. When I asked her, she was there."
Off as the even-money favorite, the winner paid $4.30, $3, and $2.50 across the board. Bar of Gold brought $6.80 and $4.90, while Fusiachi Red delivered $7.40 to show.
Paid Up Subscriber closed to come in fourth, followed by Tricky Zippy, Irish Jasper, Clothes Fall Off, Sky Gold, Ekati's Phaeton, and Promise Me Silver. Hot City Girl was scratched.
Along with the Test and Prioress, the Cavorting's three-for-three record at Saratoga includes the last year's Adirondack (gr. II), her first graded score.
Bred in Kentucky by Swettenham Stud, Cavorting now has a 5-0-0 record from seven starts with a bankroll of $842,000.