Miss Ella repeats in Caress
Race run on Mellon despite morning showers
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » In last year’s edition of the Caress Stakes, Miss Ella showed her fondness for wet going by romping by 2½ lengths when the race was switched from turf to dirt.
This year, with the 5½-furlong event back on an Inner Turf course rated “good,” Miss Ella once again showed her versatility, storming from far back to take the $200,000 stakes going away. Longshot Carolina Shag (42-1) had briefly taken over the lead in mid-stretch, but Miss Ella had her measured, cruising by to prevail by a length. Fair Point, who rallied on the outside with the eventual winner, got past Carolina Shag to claim second by a half-length. The running time was 1 minute, 2.30 seconds.
“She handled it well,” said winning jockey Joel Rosario, who was also aboard Miss Ella for the 2016 Caress. “She looked comfortable the whole way, and she put in a
nice run again. She always tries hard. When you get a chance to work (a horse) in the mornings, it makes the job easier.”
Chilean-bred Paquita Coqueta took care of the pace-setting duties, running a half-mile in :45 flat and maintaining a short advantage well into the stretch. Her pursuers were coming, however, including Miss Ella, who had trailed in last most of the way. When she found room to operate, though, the now two-time Caress winner would not be denied.
Fourth place went to Ruby Notion, who was followed by Paquita Coqueta, Pretty Perfection, Mississippi Delta, Summer Reading and Everything Lovely. There were four scratches.
Miss Ella is a Jack Swain III homebred conditioned by Graham Motion. With the Caress victory, the daughter of the deceased Exchange Rate has won six races and placed in four others in 16 starts. Her earnings now stand at $595,334. Miss Ella’s earlier stakes victories also included Belmont’s Christie-cat Stakes and, at Keeneland, the Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes.