Casalu notches first turf stakes triumph with Blue Norther

ARCADIA, Calif. - In her fourth attempt, Casalu achieved a first career stakes win on turf in Saturday’s $101,500 Blue Norther Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

The assignment was made slightly easier on Saturday morning with the withdrawal of morning-line favorite Will Then.

Casalu ($13) closed from fourth to win the Blue Norther Stakes at a mile on turf by 1 1/2 lengths, benefiting from an ideal trip under jockey Kazushi Kimura.

Kimura moved Casalu closer to the front at the end of the backstretch toward pacesetter Resolve, who was ridden by Frankie Dettori. Casalu took the lead entering the stretch.

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“I was just waiting,” Kimura said. “When I get beside Frankie, I didn’t feel pressure from the outside.

“She kept running well, nice and strong,” Kimura said of Casalu.

Casalu ($13) was timed in 1:34.63 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 81. She finished clear of 16-1 Schilified, who edged 6-5 favorite Supa Speed by a neck for third.

Supa Speed was favored on the basis of a second-place finish in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf in September, and a troubled trip when 12th of 14 in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes there on Nov. 1.

In the Blue Norther, Supa Speed rallied three-wide to reach contention on the turn, but could not sustain the effort through the stretch. Flavien Prat rode Supa Speed.

“I had a decent trip,” Prat said. “She was a little keen on the first turn. She settled nicely on the backstretch.

“It looked like she would make a run, but she couldn’t keep up with the winner.”

Casalu, by the Uncle Mo stallion Caracaro, has won 2 of 7 starts and earned $174,546. She won her debut in a maiden race at five furlongs on dirt at Del Mar in July. In stakes on turf, she was fourth in her debut on the surface in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Casalu was later second in two Grade 3 stakes for 3-year-old fillies on turf – the Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita in October, and behind Will Then in the Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 30.

“She’s getting better and better,” Kimura said.

Owned by the partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trained by Bob Baffert, Casalu was purchased for $775,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale of 2-year-olds in-training last April.

Will Then, who won her stakes debut in the Durante, was held out of the Blue Norther by trainer Jonathan Thomas.

“She wasn’t quite where I wanted her,” Thomas said late Saturday morning. “We scratched to give her a little respite.

“I thought she was whipping back a little bit quickly. And I would like to see her eating a bit more.”

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