Brown, Casse barns square off in Bourbon Stakes

Trainers Chad Brown and Mark Casse dominate the turf ranks in North America, with runners such as Tepin, Catch a Glimpse, Flintshire, Lady Eli, Sea Calisi, Dacita, and more in their respective barns. The two also appear to be well stocked for future seasons, as both outfits are taking dead aim on the Breeders’ Cup turf events for juveniles.

Brown and Casse will each saddle two runners in an overflow field for Sunday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Bourbon Stakes on the Keeneland turf. The race, a Win and You’re In qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita, has 14 in the main body of the field, with the Brown-trained Ticonderoga a lukewarm favorite down in post 2. Two also-eligibles are also entered.

Ticonderoga ran greenly in his debut Aug. 13 at Saratoga, leaning in while on the wrong lead down the stretch of the 1 1/16-mile event. Still, he only missed by a head to Good Samaritan, who subsequently won the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine and is considered a leading contender for the Juvenile Turf.

In his next start, Sept. 10 at Belmont, Ticonderoga was more professional, coming four wide into the stretch and drawing away to win a one-mile maiden special weight race by 4 1/4 lengths. Javier Castellano, aboard for both of the colt’s starts, retains the mount.

Brown also will saddle Heaven Is Waiting, a sharp debut winner last month at Belmont.

Ticonderoga and Heaven Is Waiting face several juveniles who already have stakes experience, including French-bred Keep Quiet, a 5 1/4-length Saratoga maiden winner for Casse. The colt came back to finish second in the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes. Keep Quiet was made the second choice on the morning line at 9-2, behind Ticonderoga at 7-2. Florent Geroux, aboard for the With Anticipation, retains the mount.

All Right is trying to follow up on his 44-1 upset score in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile last month. The colt, drawn next to Ticonderoga in post 3 under Channing Hill, finished second by three-quarters of a length in a one-mile maiden race at Ellis Park, a productive juvenile launching point in the last several years. He won his maiden with his stakes victory, going seven furlongs, meaning he’ll be stretching back out at Keeneland.

Four others in the Bourbon also emerge from the Kentucky Downs Juvenile, led by Hot Dad and Prados Way, third and fourth. Ancient Warfare, the other Casse entrant, finished sixth as the favorite off a Saratoga debut score. Cold Snack Thirty was ninth.

Bird’s Eye View finished third in the With Anticipation. The Bourbon also drew the one-two finishers from the Sunday Silence Stakes at Louisiana Downs, Royal by Nature and Hembree.

Key contenders

Ticonderoga, by Tapit
Beyers: 72-78

◗ The Beyer Speed Figure he earned when second to Good Samaritan on debut is the top number in the field.

◗ A son of leading sire Tapit, he is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning turf mare Keertana; the pedigree helped make him an $850,000 purchase by Woodford Racing at the 2015 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Keep Quiet, by Elusive City
Last 3 Beyers: 71-75-48

◗ Improved his speed figures dramatically when stretched out in distance this summer

All Right, by Dominus
Beyers: 75-57

◗ Has the field’s top last-out Beyer, earned in his Kentucky Downs Juvenile win, but is stretching back out for this spot.

◗ From the first crop of graded stakes-winning turf performer Dominus.