Casse finally gets Conquest Pacemaker started

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Mark Casse’s decision to leave horses in south Florida year-round for the first time this season has already had a major impact on the quality of racing at Gulfstream Park. Casse’s local stable includes the promising Conquest Pacemaker, a stakes winner at 3 who will launch his 4-year-old campaign as the heavy favorite in Wednesday’s $44,000 allowance feature at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf.

Conquest Pacemaker became a stakes winner in just his third start when he captured Woodbine’s Toronto Cup in wire-to-wire fashion last July. He has made only two subsequent starts, none since finishing far back in a 1 5/16-mile stakes last summer at Kentucky Downs.

“He’s got a lot of talent,” said Casse. “He ran last at Kentucky Downs, and horses either like that course or they don’t like it. And he didn’t like it.”

Casse said that at that point, he brought Conquest Pacemaker to his farm in Ocala, Fla., and gave him some time off.

“I sent him down there six weeks ago . . . but he had one little thing happen to him after another, and next thing you know, he’s still sitting there and hadn’t run,” Casse said. “So, I figured I’d leave him a little longer, let him get to run there once, then figure out what to do with him after that.”

Conquest Pacemaker is one of two horses Casse will run in the main event, along with Hear That Tune, who will be making his turf debut Wednesday. Hear That Tune, who also has stakes experience, is seeking his first victory since defeating allowance company here with trainer Stanley Gold 10 months ago.

“The problem is a lot of the better races don’t always go there, so sometimes you have to run your horses against each other,” said Casse. “Hear That Tune’s probably a dirt horse, but we’ll give him a try on the grass and see what happens.”

Casse said he has 40-45 horses stabled at Gulfstream with his assistant Jamie Begg. About a dozen are 2-year-olds, most owned by Jacks or Better Farm, for whom Casse ran Fellowship in Saturday’s Preakness. Casse took over the training for Jacks or Better from Gold this spring.

“I’m very happy with the way things have gone for us thus far at Gulfstream,” said Casse. “The plan is to stay there and stay strong. I expect we should have starters in all the 2-year-old races coming up. They also have a lot of nice stakes here during the summer, and I’m hoping we’ll be a big factor in a lot of them.”

Casse was back in Ocala on Monday after spending the weekend at Pimlico, where he sent out Noble Bird to win the Grade 3 Pimlico Special by 11 lengths on Friday. But despite all the excitement of winning that race and participating in a number of major races on Preakness Day, he said he was most nervous about a horse he ran Saturday at Woodbine, Conquest Enforcer.

In his first start since October, Conquest Enforcer won the $150,000 Queenston by 7 3/4 lengths under Patrick Husbands.

“If you get a chance, watch a replay of his race over the weekend,” said Casse. “It was just a little stakes, but he won by eight and ran a 101 Beyer in just his third start and first since he won the Cup and Saucer by seven lengths after getting blocked at the sixteenth pole in October. He pulled a muscle after that race, which is why he’s been away. Patrick said he’s the best horse he’s ever sat on. I’m not sure if we’re going to pursue the Queen’s Plate – it’s a little late for that – but he’s a freak. I think he can be as good a miler as anyone.”