Casse has four in Alywow Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Leading trainer Mark Casse sends out four of the seven 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s $100,000 Alywow Stakes at Woodbine. Among them, Dancing Duchess and Stormcast look best in the 6 1/2-furlong main-turf sprint.

Dancing Duchess was a close second in the 6 1/2-furlong Soaring Free Stakes on the main course in August and subsequently beat the boys in the Oct. 8 Algonquin Stakes going five-eighths on the inner turf. This spring, she has finished third in the Star Shoot Stakes on Tapeta and is coming off a wide fourth against older allowance rivals on the inner turf.

“She’s the proven warrior,” Casse said.

Ontario-bred Stormcast graduated in her third start at 2 going seven-eighths on the grass in August, after which she went to the sidelines. When coming off the bench on May 4 at Gulfstream Park, she checked in second in the Honey Ryder Stakes behind De Regreso, who returned to capture another Gulfstream stakes.

“She ran huge,” Casse said, regarding her last performance. “She’s a nice horse. She’s definitely better on the grass.”

Sahin Civaci retains the mount on Dancing Duchess, and the hot leading jockey Rafael Hernandez will get a leg up on Stormcast.

Casse also entered Karaya and Creed’s Gold in the overnight stakes.

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Karaya won three in a row in shorter sprints over Gulfstream’s Tapeta during the winter, including two allowance/optional claimers. When stretching out to a mile on turf in the Honey Ryder, she tracked a lively pace before folding to finish a well-beaten 10th.

“That race was way too far for her,” Casse pointed out. “She’s going to enjoy the cutback. She ran against some tough horses in South Florida.”

Creed’s Gold didn’t show a whole lot in her first two outings going five furlongs at Gulfstream prior to landing a one-mile maiden special there March 31. After a freshening, she returned in a one-mile allowance on the main turf here June 1. She saved ground on the turn before closing outside to finish a lapped-on second to Liam’s Gift.

“She got in trouble a couple times down at Gulfstream and should have run better,” Casse recalled. “I thought that last race was pretty tough.”

Kazushi Kimura inherits the mount on Creed’s Gold from Patrick Husbands, who’s taking over on Karaya.

Completing the field are Rosa, Uphill Dance, and Zo Lee.

Rosa has struggled since landing the Presque Isle Debutante on Sept. 25. She finished fourth in both the Star Shoot and Ruling Angel Stakes and also was fourth in her only turf start in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes in August. Trainer Kevin Attard is putting blinkers back on her.

Uphill Dance has worked fast on turf and Tapeta in advance of her season debut and first grass start. She was a fading fifth behind future Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Witwatersrand in the Grade 3 Mazarine in November.

Kentucky-based Zo Lee rallied for third in the Honey Ryder but could only finish seventh most recently in an allowance/optional claimer at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

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