Familiar bunch gathers again for Caress

If the field for Saturday’s Grade 3 Caress at Saratoga looks familiar - that’s because it is. Of the nine horses in the main body of the field, six of them met last time out in the Grade 2 Intercontinental during Belmont week at Saratoga. Most notably, Pipsy will look to extend her win streak off his win in the Intercontinental.  

When Pipsy came over to the United States from Ireland at the end of 2023, it looked like trainer Will Walden had a serious turf sprinter. Pipsy won the Grade 3 Soaring Softly at Aqueduct in her stateside debut in April of 2024 but didn’t win again until earlier this year. Pipsy tried some different distances and some tough company but Walden got the now 4-year-old back on track with an allowance victory at Keeneland in April at this same 5 1/2-furlong distance. Off of that, Pipsy was a front-running winner of the Intercontinental, springing somewhat of an upset. 

Pipsy was left alone up front in the Intercontinental, mainly because Twirling Queen and Future Is Now had a little bit of trouble. That pair looks to get their revenge Saturday. Pipsy, with Jose Ortiz aboard as the 7-2 morning line second choice, looks to deploy those same front-running tactics. 

Future Is Now was favored in the Intercontinental, riding a three-race win streak into that race, which she also won last year. Future Is Now was in a tight spot early and jockey Paco Lopez tried to come up the rail but couldn’t get to Pipsy. Future Is Now was third in last year’s Caress and ended her season with a victory in the Grade 2 Franklin at Keeneland. In her 5-year-old debut last out, Future Is Now won the Grade 3 Giant’s Causeway at Churchill Downs on the front end. Lopez retains the mount for trainer Michael Trombetta and the pair is set as the narrow 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Kairyu has finished behind some of these horses and has yet to land a victory in the U.S. Kairyu ran second to Pipsy in the Soaring Softly last year, then second behind Twirling Queen in the Coronation Cup at Saratoga, and closed out last year behind Pipsy and Future Is Now in the Franklin. Last out in her 4-year-old debut, Kairyu ran arguably her best race, a solid third in the Intercontinental. The Cherie DeVaux trainee has always shown talent but has yet to put it all together and gets Kendrick Carmouche aboard Saturday. 

Behind Kairyu in fourth in the Intercontinental was Time to Dazzle for trainer Mark Casse. In that race, she was cutting back and came with a strong run at a big price. Dylan Davis will be aboard for the first time Saturday.

Pandora’s Gift ran her career-best race when favored in the Giant’s Causeway. Trained by Miguel Clement, Pandora’s Gift missed by a nose to Future Is Now in that race, and prior to that finished third in the Franklin. Pandora’s Gift was fifth in the Intercontinental after being stuck inside. Joel Rosario will be aboard for the first time Saturday and with the outside draw this time, the Irish-bred 4-year-old could land an upset for her first graded stakes victory.

Twirling Queen was always a highly-regarded filly, taking the Coronation Cup here last year. Trainer Jose D’Angelo tried her on dirt after that, then shipped her to Del Mar to out-class an inferior field, eventually ending her season with what looked like a tired effort at Gulfstream Park. All that travel may have also affected her in the Intercontinental, where she finished last. Emisael Jaramillo will be aboard Saturday, and while Twirling Queen is clearly talented, she has yet to prove it at this level.

Of those that didn’t run in the Intercontinental, Toupie is the most accomplished turf horse, as a four-time stakes winner. Last out in the Grade 3 Royal North at Woodbine, Toupie set the pace and faded. Two back, she was fourth in the Giant’s Causeway. Manny Franco will be back aboard Saturday for trainer Graham Motion, though he’ll have to work out a trip from the inside post.

Zeitlos is a Grade 2 winner on dirt for trainer Steve Asmussen, and her second turf try came last year in this race when she finished a fast-closing fifth by one length. If she goes Saturday, Junior Alvarado will have her rolling late.

One of the more interesting horses in the field Saturday is Obstreperous, whose granddam is Caress, the namesake of this race. Trained by D’Angelo, the 4-year-old filly will step into graded-stakes company for the first time Saturday with Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard.

There are three main-track-only entrants for Saturday and another connection to great Caress. George Weaver trains the 4-year-old filly named Caress - yes, the same name but obviously a different horse. Halina’s Forte and Little Prankster are the others entered if the race comes off the turf.

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