Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf: Norm Casse's next milestone in sight
Six months ago, trainer Norm Casse had launched his stable and was on the verge of his first win. On Nov. 2, Casse hopes to have his first starter in a Breeders’ Cup race with Belle Laura in the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs.
That would be a heck of an occasion for a first graded stakes win.
Casse, 35, watched Belle Laura finish third in the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes on Oct. 10 at Keeneland, a performance that has led to the filly being pointed to the $1 million BC Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile. Casse has the slightest concern the race will oversubscribe and that Belle Laura will not gain a berth in the field of 14.
“We feel like we deserve to be in there,” he said. “Hopefully, we get our shot.”
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Belle Laura, who races for GU Racing Stable, will be an outsider in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, which is led by the New York stakes winner Newspaperofrecord and the European stakes winner Just Wonderful.
Newspaperofrecord won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes on Sept. 30 at Belmont Park for trainer Chad Brown. Just Wonderful, trained by Aidan O’Brien, won the Group 2 Rockfel Stakes on Sept. 28 at Newmarket, England.
Belle Laura is already a winner at a mile on turf at Churchill Downs, in a maiden race in her second career start in September.
In the Jessamine, Belle Laura started from the outside post in a field of 13. She closed from last to finish 3 3/4 lengths behind Concrete Rose, another contender for the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf. Pakhet, who was second in the Jessamine and a neck in front of Belle Laura, also is set for a start in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Casse was left frustrated by Belle Laura’s trip from the outside post.
“Going into the race, I thought we had a legit chance to win,” he said. “We had no shot when the draw happened. She ran so well. My enthusiasm for her hasn’t changed.”
Casse was formerly an assistant to his father, Mark, one of the leading trainers in North America. Norm Casse has a 30-horse stable based in Kentucky. He has yet to win a stakes, and said on Wednesday that Distorted Jimmy will be his next runner in a stakes, in the Spendthrift Stakes on Oct. 28 at Churchill Downs.
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If Belle Laura performs to expectation, this could be a memorable autumn for Casse.
“We’re pretty humbled to be in this position,” he said. “It’s more sentimental since it’s at Churchill Downs and it’s home base.”
Pakhet, a maiden race winner at Belmont Park in September, had her stakes debut in the Jessamine, which was run at 1 1/16 miles on turf. Pakhet won at the same distance at Belmont Park.
“She’s consistently run well and seems to be maturing,” trainer Todd Pletcher said earlier this week.