Casse filly looking like good buy

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Nite in Rome, one of the more promising 2-year-old fillies at Woodbine, should be favored in Wednesday's third race, a 1 1/16-mile first-level allowance.

Nite in Rome, an Ontario-bred by hot freshman sire Harlan's Holiday, was a $200,000 2-year-old purchase by trainer Mark Casse, on behalf of owner Will Farish.

"I saw her at the Ocala sale, and called [Farish] up, and he let me buy her," Casse said.

Nite in Rome looks to be well worth her purchase price. She closed from midpack to win her debut on the grass in a six-furlong maiden sprint July 14.

In her only other outing, on Sept. 9, Nite in Rome came down the center of the turf course to finish second in the one-mile Natalma Stakes. The winner of the Gradeo3 Natalma, Clearly Foxy, returned to finish a respectable sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Monmouth.

Patrick Husbands, who was aboard for Nite in Rome's maiden victory, has the mount.

There are two Ontario-sired allowance races on the card, including the seventh for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

Moon Path should be well-backed in the seventh. She won her maiden in her third time out at 2, in the restricted South Ocean Stakes, while receiving a Beyer Speed Figure of 63.

Moon Path captured an Ontario-sired allowance for nonwinners of two in her second start of the year June 30. She finished fourth in each of her four subsequent starts, the last three of which were in stakes.

Moon Path earned a solid Beyer Figure of 82 for checking in just 1 1/4 lengths behind the winner in the Sept. 15 La Prevoyante Stakes on the grass. She was beaten 24 lengths most recently in the Carotene, a stakes that was a little tougher than the La Prevoyante.

Trainer Mark Frostad will try blinkers on Moon Path for the first time Wednesday.

Choir Practice, Bold Corky, and La Gran Leslie are other possibilities in the seventh.

Choir Practice is exiting a narrow loss against $40,000 conditioned-claiming company, for which she got a 73 Beyer. She won her previous start over $20,000 nonwinners-of-two stock with a 63 Beyer, and looks to be improving.

Bold Corky has finished either second or third in each of her three attempts in Ontario-sired allowance competition since trainer Vito Armata claimed her for a bargain $12,500 in July.

La Gran Leslie is dropping from open allowance company, and should be a late factor under Emma Wilson.