Elizabeth Merryman's homebred Caravel prevailed in a three-way blanket finish in the May 14 $100,000 The Very One Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
The gritty Mizzen Mast filly was the star of the Wanamaker's October Online sale, an auction co-founded by Merryman's daughter, Liza. When Caravel failed to meet her reserve last fall Merryman kept the gray in training at Fair Hill Training Center and the 4-year-old has repaid her connections with her third black-type victory.
"I've been lucky to have some pretty special horses," said Merryman. "But this is the most special one."
Favored at 2-1 in the 12-horse field, Caravel was bottled up on the inside rail for most of the journey under jockey Florent Geroux. Into the turn off a first quarter in :22.01, the 4-year-old gray still was trapped behind a wall of horses until a seam opened upon the rail with a furlong left to run. Caravel shouldered her way through the small opening and rallied resolutely down the lane, nosing out a fast-closing Gotta Go Mo at the wire. Team Valor's Victory Kingdom held on for third.
The final time for the five furlongs was :56.21 over a firm turf course.
"I was just hoping for an opening sooner rather than later," said Geroux. "It looked like we got it just in time."
Caravel had performed commendably when finishing third in her last start, the April 30 License Fee Stakes at Belmont Park. In that effort, she had pressed a snappy early pace before tiring late. Merryman felt confident coming into The Very One that Caravel would improve off that effort.
"In my head all day, I could just see her winning this race," said Merryman. "And yet, in the stretch, I thought, 'Well, it's not going to happen. Not today. And it did. I thought all the way to the wire she wasn't getting there because there was just no room for her to run. I don't know how she got through. It was a miraculous run."
Merryman says she has several options for the filly's next start, but said that since Caravel is "a PA-bred, there's a nice PA-bred stakes coming up. The purse is a little bit lower, but being her breeder the purse is a little higher for us overall."
Caravel improved her record to 5-0-2 from 7 starts and earnings of $212,872.
Video: The Very One S. (BT)
Alda Prevails in a Tight Hill Top Finish
It was a good day for runners from Fair Hill following the score by Wertheimer and Frere's Alda in the $100,000 Hilltop Stakes. Going a mile on the turf, the 3-year-old Munnings filly covered the trip in 1:35.06 after edging Seasons by a neck and Arm Candy, a nose back in third, on the line. Johnny Velazquez was winning his third stakes on the day.
"She was my first 2-year-old winner last year, so she was always one of my most precocious 2-year-olds," said winning trainer Graham Motion, who is based at Fair Hill Training Center. "Johnny rode her back then, and he's ridden her in most of her races."
Alda now has three wins and a second and a third from seven starts. After breaking her maiden last year in her second start, she rallied to take Woodbine's Catch a Glimpse Stakes and was a close-up second in the Natalma Stakes (G1T) in Canada. Motion tested the waters in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Keeneland but the chestnut filly finished 12th.
She returned to make her sophomore bow in Keeneland's TVG Limestone Turf Sprint at 5 1/2 furlongs and finished sixth.
"The Breeders' Cup might have been a tall task. I've been a little unsure what distance she wanted to go, but clearly, this is what she wants to do."
"It was to achieve two things: she's so precocious in the mornings that I thought she would handle it, but it was a salty group sprinting. She ran OK, but that clearly set her up for today."
A 7-1 shot, Alda broke from post 3. Seasons and Tracy Flick to her inside had rough starts. Velazquez had Alda tucked inside behind the pacesetting Proper Attire who set early splits of :23.34, :47, and 1:11.41 before fading to last. Velazquez eased Alda out into the four path leaving the far turn. She got the lead at the eighth pole and had to fend off two late challengers.
"How hot is Johnny today? He's on fire," Motion added.
"The horses are running good for me," said Velazquez, who won his fourth Hilltop. "It's all about the horses."
The winner is a half sister to group 2 winner Alignement and is out of the Maria's Mon mare Soldata. Soldata is a full sister to Coolmore Lexington Stakes (G2) winner Exhi and is from the immediate family of influential mare Fanfreluche.
Video: Hilltop S. (BT)
