By J.N. Campbell
Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse won 15 races out of 53 starts during the tough as nails Saratoga meet this season, which amounted to a 28% clip. One of those runners who got her picture taken was La Cara (Street Sense–Cara Caterina, by Bernardini). Off that performance, she rolled into Louisville for the GIII Pocahontus Stakes and won, which earned her 10 points on the path to next May's running of the GI Kentucky Oaks.
In the first two starts of her career under the Twin Spires earlier this season, the filly did not care for the Churchill slop as she finished a well-beaten sixth May 17. The bay did improve in her second effort over a fast main track when she was the runner-up June 21.
Packing her bags for the Spa, La Cara looked tired as rival Kimchi Cat (Twirling Candy) donned cap and gown at second asking, while the homebred finished six lengths back in fourth. However when her conditioner added a furlong and a half to her plate Aug. 11 and was sent hard from the bell by Ricardo Santana Jr., the 2-year-old was spectacular when she got her picture taken finally by eight lengths.
Back in town as a 5-1 shot here and with Oaks points of 10-5-3-2-1 for the top five finishers on the line, La Cara changed tactics and chased from along the rail mid-pack up the backstretch as the aforementioned Kimchi Cat clung to a tenuous lead. The Tracy Farmer homebred moved off the fence at the top of the far turn, which set her up nicely at the quarter pole for a run down the center of the course. With new leader Liam in the Dust (Liam's Map) beginning to yearn for the wire in the final furlong, La Cara found her best stride and saw it out to win by a length. Liam in the Dust garnered five Oaks points and Icona Mama (Maximus Mischief), who outran her odds at 30-1, earned three.
Pedigree Notes:
La Cara, who comes out of the same Street Sense-Bernardini cross as current Darley America stallions Maxfield and Speaker's Corner, is his sire's 43rd overall graded stakes winner. Tracy Farmer acquired Cara Caterina at the 2018 Keeneland September Sale for $500,000 and the Pocahontas victress is her first registered foal. She handed La Cara a full-sister May 5. This dam counts MGISW To Honor and Serve and GI Chandelier Stakes heroine Angela Renee as full-siblings, and GISP Elnaawi (Street Sense) as a half-brother. The winner's extended female family includes under her third dam MGSW India (Hennessy), who produced Japanese MG1SW Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}).
Saturday, Churchill Downs
POCAHONTAS S.-GIII, $292,335, Churchill Downs, 9-14, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:37.82, ft.
1–LA CARA, 122, f, 2, by Street Sense
1st Dam: Cara Caterina, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Pilfer, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Misty Hour, by Miswaki
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Tracy Farmer (KY); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Ricardo Santana, Jr.. $171,945. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $258,520. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Liam in the Dust, 122, f, 2, Liam's Map–Whisper Louise, by Bernardini. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($45,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $250,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-Storyteller Racing and Schroeck Racing LLC; B-Don Alberto Corporation & W. S. Farish (KY); T-Rodolphe Brisset. $55,950.
3–Icona Mama, 122, f, 2, Maximus Mischief–Classe Signora, by Bernstein. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($75,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-DeSales 85 LLC; B-J. Patrick Morell & Tanya Lobsiger (PA); T-Flint W. Stites. $20,475.
Margins: 3/4, HD, 2. Odds: 5.36, 9.25, 30.71.
Also Ran: Pretty Sure, Atomic City, Empirical Mischief, Strong State, Hearts United, Chattanooga Crew, Stilettos, Quinn's Promise, West Memorial, Lady Kathryn, Kimchi Cat. Scratched: Claire's Charm, Good Cheer.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
#3 La Cara closes at 5/1 to take the first Kentucky Oaks prep race, the G3 Pocahantos at @chuchilldowns for trainer Mark Casse with @RSantana_jr in the irons! 🌷
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/snFv8iieQv
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 14, 2024
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