World Approval stalks his way to United Nations victory

OCEANPORT, N.J. - The last month has been good for trainer Mark Casse's stable. He won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot with Tepin, the $500,000 Penn Mile over males with Catch a Glimpse, and the training title at the Churchill Downs spring meet. On Sunday, Casse added a victory in the Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park to his recent successes.

With Florent Geroux aboard, World Approval parlayed a perfect stalking trip behind 75-1 longshot Cement Clement into a 1 1/4-length victory in the $327,000 United Nations, a 1 3/8-mile turf race. Cement Clement set even fractions of 24.29, 50.21, 1:14.72, and 1:39.04 while World Approval tracked him in second.

Money Multiplier, also forwardly placed, moved closer on the backstretch. He lodged a bid three wide on the far turn as World Approval went after the pacesetter, but was unable to cut into the winner's margin in the stretch.

Wake Forest, the 9-5 favorite, did the best of any of the closers to finish third, 1 3/4 lengths behind Money Multiplier.

"We sat the perfect trip," Geroux said. "On paper it looked like Cement Clement would be going to the lead, so we let him set the pace for us. When I asked him at the quarter pole, he responded nicely.”

World Approval paid $7.40 as the second betting choice in the 10-horse field. He completed the course over "good" ground in 2:14.66.

In his prior two starts, World Approval finished second, beaten a neck, in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day and third, beaten 2 1/4 lengths, in the Grade 1 Manhattan at Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes Day. A 4-year-old gelded son of Northern Afleet, he is now 6 for 15 with earnings of $853,450. He is owned by the Live Oak Plantation of Charlotte Weber.

Trainer Chad Brown had three starters in the United Nations: Money Multiplier, Wake Forest, and Mr Maybe, who finished seventh.

"I thought they all got pretty good trips," Brown said. "The winner was very good today. My first two horses just weren’t good enough to run him down. With Mr Maybe, we knew we were up against it coming off a four-month layoff. "

Wake Forest was on the muscle in the paddock, prancing with his neck bowed.

"He got worked up in the paddock, that was disappointing to see," Brown said. "He hasn’t done that before. He put in a decent run, but we know he is better than that.

Wake Forest broke slowly for the third straight race. He made a middle move to a contending position on the backstretch under John Velazquez, and then finished willingly.

"We know he doesn’t break," Velazquez said. "On the second turn, two horses backed up on me and I went around them on the backstretch. When we came back around, he just didn’t have it.”

Triple Threat ran well to finish fourth after he dwelt at the start to get off well behind the field.