Both Casse runners look live in Sunshine Millions Classic

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Eleven weeks ago, Tap the Mojo was running with a $15,000 price tag on his head. On Saturday, he will go postward among the leading candidates to win the $200,000 purse up for grabs in the 1 1/8-mile Sunshine Millions Classic.

The Classic is the main event on Gulfstream Park’s annual Sunshine Millions program, which features five stakes restricted to Florida-breds. Post time for the 12-race card is 11:40 a.m. Eastern.

Tap the Mojo rebounded from a series of disappointing efforts against better to win a $15,000 claiming event for nonwinners of two on Nov. 2 at Woodbine. In two subsequent tries, the vastly improved son of Tapit finished third in a money allowance race, also at Woodbine, before shipping locally to register an impressive four-length victory against statebred entry-level allowance opposition in a race switched from the turf to the main track on Dec. 29. He received a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Thank goodness I didn’t lose him for the 15,” trainer Mark Casse said. “He was a horse we thought a lot of early but who got hurt. We gave him time and gelded him, but had kind of given up on him until he won that race for $15,000. He was awesome that day. We thought he could win a first-level Florida-bred race off that effort, and he did and ran even better. He went wide around everybody while making his first start on dirt. So off that, we figured it was worth a try for this kind of money in the Classic.”

Tap the Mojo is one of two key contenders Casse will start in the Sunshine Millions Classic along with Salute With Honor, who registered a pair of well-graded optional-claiming victories during the summer and early fall at Woodbine prior to closing the season with a fourth-place finish there in the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes. All those races were decided over Polytrack, although Salute With Honor won a statebred allowance race here on dirt last winter.

“He’s a pretty useful horse who ran good at Woodbine but has shown a fondness for Gulfstream as well and is training forwardly since getting down here,” Casse said. “The mile and one-eighth is a question for both of them, although horses tend to carry speed a little further over this track at Gulfstream, and I’m going into the race thinking either one of these two can win.”

The Casse duo will face only five rivals, including the 2018 Classic winner and 2019 runner-up Jay’s Way, the much improved Red Crescent, recent open allowance winner Noble Drama, Squeezadios, and Super Dude.

Jay’s Way is winless in nine starts since registering a half-length decision over Mr. Jordan in the 2018 Sunshine Classic. He was beaten a half-length by Souper Tapit in defense of that title a year ago, but then fell off his best form and comes into the race Saturday idle since early June.

Red Crescent won the Sunshine Millions Classic Preview two months earlier at Gulfstream Park West and finished fourth behind winner War Story in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday in his 2019 finale.

Noble Drama won for the third time in 11 local tries when he rallied to a 2 3/4-length optional-claiming win going a mile four weeks ago. He finished a distant sixth in this event a year ago, beaten nearly 11 lengths behind Souper Tapit and Jay’s Way.