Careless Jewel outshines Alabama rivals

Careless Jewel was easily the best in the Alabama (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) Donver Stable’s CARELESS JEWEL (Tapit) moved her current win streak to four straight with a dominating 11-length victory in Saturday’s $600,000 Alabama S. (G1) at Saratoga. With regular rider Robert Landry aboard, the Josie Carroll trainee stalked to the outside of pacemaker Be Fair (Exchange Rate) until the final turn, took command and proceeded to draw off through the stretch, finishing 1 1/4 miles in 2:03 1/5 on the good dirt track. “She’s been a filly that’s been on the lead, but she’s been starting to relax more and more and we thought that if she had to (sit off the pace), she could, and fortunately we were right,” Carroll said. “There was a lot of jostling in there and I got really concerned — I thought she was going to get dropped into that first turn and I think Robert did a great job with her. He got her outside and got her settled. “I think knowing the horse was a huge advantage today. He got her to settle beautifully. We had looked in this direction if we jumped up and ran well in Delaware. The one thing about this filly, she’s made the lead and she’s kicked on. I think it’s very special when a horse can make pace and kick on. That gave us a lot of confidence in her. It doesn’t get much better than this.” Be Fair and Careless Jewel moved in tandem to the front, with the former asserting herself on the lead nearing the first turn with Careless Jewel just behind and to her inside. The pacesetter came over entering the turn, forcing Careless Jewel to take up sharply and move to the outside for running room, and the pair maintained those positions through splits of :23 1/5, :47 1/5 and 1:12.

Careless Jewel made her move exiting the backstretch, taking over through a
mile in 1:37 1/5, and pulled away as the near 3-1 second choice to pay $7.80,
$4.60 and $3.60. Fellow Canadian-based runner Milwaukee Appeal (Milwaukee Brew)
broke free from the rest of the field to easily grab second as the 5-2 favorite,
returning $3.90 and $3 while ending the $30.20 exacta. Casanova Move (Langfuhr)
finished another 3 3/4 lengths back in third and was worth $5.90 as the 13-1
sixth pick. The trifecta gave back $209.50 and the 5-8-7-1 superfecta, with
Sweet and Flawless (Unbridled’s Song) rounding out the top four another length
behind, totaled $1,983.

“I had a pretty good start,” Landry said of the race. “I
got squeezed out pretty good into the first turn. I was trying to get her back
off that horse and I couldn’t really get her back quick enough so I had to check
her pretty hard into the first turn. After that the trip was pretty uneventful.
When I asked her, she responded. It takes a good horse to overcome what she did
today.

“She’s a great filly and I give a lot of credit to Josie, and I appreciate the
owners for giving me the opportunity to ride her in such a big race. I’ve had a
lot of confidence in her, and she had a couple pre-race antics, but when they can
overcome that and win the way she did; she’s a special filly.

“I haven’t ever won a race here,” Landry added. “I’ve had a couple placings
in stakes and I finished third on a three-year-old called Niigon a few years ago
in the Jim Dandy (G2). Other than that, I’ve probably only rode five or six
horses here. I said last time that I wouldn’t come back until I thought I had a
chance and it’s nice to win a race in Saratoga.”

Don’t Forget Gil (Kafwain), Be Fair, Wynning Ride (Candy Ride [Arg]) and
Funny Moon (Malibu Moon) completed the order under the wire.

Bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds and Bill Andrade, Careless Jewel
was purchased by her current connections for $40,000 as a Keeneland September
yearling and has more than earned back her purchase price, having now banked
$582,846 lifetime. The sophomore miss began her career with a third at Keeneland
on April 5, then headed north to Canada, where she proceeded to break her maiden
by 3 1/2 lengths and take an allowance by 7 1/4 lengths. The gray lass
made her stakes, and dirt, bow in the Delaware Oaks (G2) last out, and the
three-year-old lass led gate-to-wire for a 7 1/4-length trouncing on that
occasion. Her line now reads 5-4-0-1.

Careless Jewel comes from an extensive black-type family. She is out of the
unraced Sweet and Careless (Hennessy), who has since produced an unnamed
juvenile colt by Orientate and a 2009 Elusive Quality colt. Sweet and Careless
is herself a half-sister to Subordination (Mt. Livermore), hero of the 1997
Hollywood Derby (G1) and 1998 Eddie Read H. (G1), as well as Grade 3-placed
stakes winner Domination (Prized).

Careless Jewel’s third dam is the stakes-placed Careless Notion (Jester), who
is responsible for 1990 Turf Classic (G1) victor Cacoethes (Alydar), who ran
second in the 1989 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1) and Juddmonte International S.
(Eng-G1) as well as third in that year’s Epsom Derby (Eng-G1), and Grade 1 queen
Fabulous Notion (Somethingfabulous), herself the dam of 1997 Test S. (G1) winner
Fabulously Fast (Deputy Minister). This is also the same family as multiple
stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Island Jamboree (Explodent), dam of 1998
champion turf mare Fiji (GB) (Rainbow Quest) and Group 2 heroine Capri
(Generous).