Richard and Chantelle Jolly reiterated their ability to identify the right horses to bring to the Melbourne Cup Carnival when Karavas scored a valuable win in Thursday’s $200,000 Ottawa Stakes.
The daughter of Alabama Express provided the South Australian father/daughter training combination with a second win in the 1000-metre Group 3 event in the past three years following See You In Heaven’s victory in 2021.
The victory made it two wins from as many starts for Karavas, who debuted in the 900m Moorundi Plate at Murray Bridge on October 7, and while Richard said a different style of filly to See You In Heaven, who won last year’s Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m), he is equally as excited about the future.
“This girl is probably a bit more precocious,” Jolly said.
“In saying that, See You In Heaven went on to race well as a two-year-old but she’s got out to a trip now where I feel this filly is going to be a sprinting type.
“We can put her away now and aim her at some nice races in the autumn.”
Karavas was unfazed travelling among horses until the 250m, at which point she displayed an impressive turn of foot to take control of the race.
The $9 chance scored by one length from Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman’s Exceed And Excel first starter Eneeza ($4.20ef) with Too Darn Hot filly Arabian Summer ($7) the same distance away third.
Karavas’s win continued the blazing start to Alabama Express’s stallion career with the Yulong sire having had runners in four races for three wins and a second placing.
Jolly had to go to $260,000 at Inglis Premier to buy Karavas, a daughter of the Pierro mare All Of Me, who is a half-sister to Group winners Star Of Giselle and Solicit, who are descendants of Group 1 winner Kapchat and thanked loyal owner Neville Morgan for backing his judgement.
“She was a really athletic filly, well-muscled and always looked like she’d go early,” Jolly said.
“We paid a bit of money, I don’t usually spend that much, to be honest, but I had the backing of Neville Morgan.”
Jolly and Morgan have enjoyed great success over the years with the prominent owner having provided Jolly with his first Group 1 winner, Kushadasi, along with other Group winners Kemalpasa and Karacatis.