Caviart Ally kicked off the second night of the 2019 Breeders Crown upsetting defending champion Shartin N in the $394,737 Open Mares Pace on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Andrew McCarthy, who had kicked off Friday's freshman championships with back-to-back wins, got things started again on Saturday driving Caviart Ally to a 1:49.3 victory for trainer Brett Pelling and owner Caviart Farms.
A winner of this event last year at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Shartin N has asserted her divisional dominance all season long but was collared in deep stretch by her arch rival Caviart Ally, who had also won their last match-up on Oct. 6 in the Allerage at The Red Mile.
Flying to the front from the outside seven slot, Kissin In The Sand (Yannick Gingras) put up a :25.4 opening quarter before 2-5 favourite Shartin N (Tim Tetrick) looped to the lead. She proceeded to the half in :55, with Caviart Ally following in the four-hole and flushed first-up by Youaremycandygirl (Louis Philippe Roy).
Shartin N continued to lead the way to three-quarters in 1:22.3 with Caviart Ally progressing up to her saddle pad and pressing on in the straightaway. She collared the favourite in the stretch and kicked 2-1/2 lengths clear to earn her crowning moment. Shartin N held on for second ahead of Kissin In The Sand and Youaremycandygirl.
"It's been a pretty good rivalry and Shartin had the better of us all year, but Caviart Ally, she just really seems to love this time of year," said McCarthy. "She's always come good like three, four, five, she just really excels in the fall and we're finally getting the better of her.
"We've tried every way to beat Shartin. In Lexington there, we said let's try not to leave so fast and we'll come late and I've done that again tonight. I just pushed the pace a little bit. She likes first-over, she always has, so she seems to be agreeing with it."
Caviart Ally finally earned her crown and it was a rewarding moment for her connections, who had watched the Bettors Delight-Allamerican Cool mare settle for runner-up honours in the Breeders Crown as a three-year-old behind Blazin Britches and last year behind Shartin N -- both times coming up just a half-length shy of glory.
"It’s super special," said Judy Chaffee, who owns and operates Caviart Farms with her husband Buck. "She’s been after the Breeders Crown every year and we’ve never been able to do it and finally! She’s such a great mare, she has deserved it. She has raced well every single year, every year in the Breeders Crown. This was her year."
"She really had to come strong that last quarter-mile," said Buck Chaffee, noting it was the best performance of Caviart Ally's career. "And when she headed her [Shartin] at the top of the stretch, they hooked up, and they've done that before and every other time we've come up a little short, but this time we didn't and it's just Brett and Andy doing a great, great job and the horse just really working hard and showing her stuff."
Caviart Ally, who had defended her Milton Stakes title at Mohawk on Sept. 21, returned $7 to win as the 5-2 second choice.
“It's an awesome event. Breeders Crown, it’s the ultimate for us in the game and I couldn’t be happier,” said Pelling of earning his 11th Breeders Crown trophy and first since 2005 when he chose to retire and return Down Under. “She’s a great, tough mare and she stands up. Tomorrow she’ll be looking to see what’s going on for the next day and she's just got a beautiful nature about her. One tough girl."
Caviart Ally now sports a seasonal summary reading 8-7-2 from 17 starts. Lifetime, the five-year-old mare has won 24 races and more than $1.87 million in purse earnings.
Shartin's trainer Jim King wasn't disappointed with the game effort from his stable star.
"She certainly didn’t race bad, she didn’t throw in the towel," he said. "Mainly she just hasn’t fully recovered from when she was sick. With the year being as long as it was, most of these horses here didn’t race in the (Blue Chip) Matchmaker (Series) or the Levy. There is a reason they don’t do that, and I’m pretty sure this is it. I thought she was recovered, I just don’t think she’s recovered as well I was telling myself she did. But she’s a long way from finished. As long as she seems OK, we’ll go on and finish the year. She’s really special."