Adam Coglianese
William C. Schettine’s Woodbine-based Rosa Salvaje turned in a brilliant performance for trainer Lisa Lewis at Saratoga Race Course on Monday afternoon, sprinting to victory on the turf for her first career black type in the inaugural running of the open $100,000 Shakespeare Caress Stakes.
Neglected at the betting windows for her 12th career start as second-to-last choice at odds of 19-1, four-year-old Rosa Salvaje (Chapel Royal) did appear to be up against it. She had been off since January 16, when she won a five-furlong second-level allowance on turf at Gulfstream Park, sidelined by a stubborn foot abscess. She was one of multiple speed horses in the field, with all three previous victories coming in wire-to-wire fashion. Finally, the 5 1/2 furlongs of the Shakespeare Caress did not appear to be her optimum distance, as she had failed to hit the board in all five attempts at going further than five furlongs. When the time came, however, she was fit and ready to roll, endured being headed early and gutted out the extra distance.
Breaking on top under Alex Solis from the outside post of eight, Rosa Salvaje took a back seat early to pacesetter Ballistic Sue and favorite Well Deserved, who tracked in second. Racing four-, then three-wide on the turn, she took aim at the leader in upper stretch under urging.
Gaining the lead with a furlong to go, Rosa Salvaje edged away and held off closer Holiday for Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), to secure the win by a neck. The final time for the 5 1/2 furlongs over the firm Mellon turf course was a sharp 1:03.50.
Winning jockey Alex Solis said, “I had a great trip. She was really fast out of the gate, like she always is. Another filly had more speed, so I just sat off of her. She was very game down the stretch. She heard the other filly coming the last fifty yards and held her off. Thank God we got there.”
Trainer Lisa Lewis echoed the sentiment. “She has always been a nice filly,” Lewis said. “She always tries hard. We knew she would come here and run hard. Five-eighths [of a mile] is more of her style than 5 1/2 [furlongs]. I was definitely looking for the wire.”
Lewis added, “I think the filly runs good off the layoff. She really had been ready at Woodbine, but we then decided to try to point her for this race, and I trained her very hard coming into it. She was doing terrific, and we thought it was worth coming down here. When she was in Florida, she ran her best race ever and she had a bad foot abscess that took forever to get over. It took a long time to get it right.”
Bred by New Dawn Stud and foaled at the former Sez Who Thoroughbreds North in Stillwater (now Questroyal Stud North), Rosa Salvaje is one of three winners, and the first to score black type, out of Navarro Rose, a multiple stakes-placed Native Prospector mare ($153,073). The mare was purchased by Richard and Michelle Simon at the 2003 Keeneland January sale for $50,000.
Rosa Salvaje, who had dipped into stakes company three times before without success, has compiled a record of 4-2-0 from 12 starts and earned $156,555. She has two elder New York-bred siblings who have also banked six figures: Big Gavel (Judge T C), earner of $118,926, and Dakota Roadhouse (Posse), who banked $126,331.
