Cavorting dances to Personal Ensign score
August 27th, 2016
The duo settled in the rear of the five-distaffer field as I’m a Chatterbox led the way through splits of :23.98, :48.77, 1:12.64 and 1:36.28. Castellano angled Cavorting out to circle the field rounding the final turn, and the bay filly kicked into gear as she took off after the leaders.
It took the entire stretch, but Cavorting got up to stop the clock in 1:48.61 for 1 1/8 miles over Saratoga’s fast dirt and return $6.90 as the near 5-2 second choice.
Curalina, the 9-5 favorite, followed in second while just holding Forever Unbridled to third by a neck. I’m a Chatterbox and Paid Up Subscriber completed the order of finish.
Cavorting is now 4-3-1-0 on the year after opening 2016 with a second in the Distaff Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct and going on to take both the Ruffian Stakes (G2) and Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.
The Kiaran McLaughlin pupil is no stranger to Saratoga and moved her record over the track to a perfect four-for-four after taking the Test Stakes (G1) and Prioress Stakes (G2) last year as well as the Adirondack Stakes (G2) as a juvenile in 2014.
The four-year-old daughter of Bernardini also shows a win in the Distaff Handicap (G3) and a third in the La Brea Stakes (G1) from 2015 on her resume.
Cavorting improved her lifetime record to 13-8-1-1 and has now banked $2,063,000 with Saturday’s Personal Ensign score.
Bred in Kentucky by Swettenham Stud, Cavorting was purchased by Stonestreet Stables as a $360,000 Keeneland November weanling. The bay miss is out of the Grade 2-winning Carson City mare Promenade Girl, who ran third in the 2007 Ogden Phipps Handicap.
Cavorting has a juvenile half-brother named Thirstforlife, who finished third in the Kentucky Juvenile S. on May 5 at Churchill Downs and third last out on August 13 in the Best Pal Stakes (G3). This female family also includes Grade 1 winners Another Review and No Review as well as multiple Group 1-scoring top sire Lyphard.
Cavorting photo courtesy of NYRA/Chelsea Durand/Adam Coglianese Photography
PERSONAL ENSIGN QUOTES
Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer Cavorting, winner: "She ran terrific. Javier (Castellano) got her back and the others went four-wide. He saved ground and I think that was the key to race. (Javier) gets along great with this filly. That was an important move he made into the first turn.
Upcoming plans: "Not sure if we'll go straight to the Breeders' Cup or run back at Belmont."
Javier Castellano, jockey Cavorting, winner: "She broke out of the gate and rushed up to the lead. I didn't expect her to be in front and I had to take her back a little bit, nice and easy, and covered up. My concern was that it was going to be two turns for her for the first time, and a mile and an eighth. I had to save some ground and save something for the end. If I got too far back, I wasn't going to catch them because they were running pretty quick. The way the race developed was amazing. I was able to cover up a little bit, and then turning for home, the way she did it was amazing. I had a lot of horse under me and I absolutely felt the power.
"It worked out great. It was perfect; a dream trip.
"I like the way she did it today. She was amazing the way she ran against the best fillies in the country. The way she finished, coming from behind like that, was unbelievable. I give her all of the credit. It was small field but they are all Grade 1 fillies."
John Velazquez, jockey Curalina, second: "The plan today was to be near the lead. There was no speed. The only speed was the horse in front of us (I'm a Chatterbox). That's where we landed. She ran hard, she just got beat."
Dallas Stewart, trainer Forever Unbridled, third: "What a horse race, huh? It was a great horse race, she just got outrun. No excuses."
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