Casse hoping Armed Forces Stakes a launchpad for Lights of Broadway

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Mark Casse is hoping Saturday’s $65,000 Armed Forces Stakes will be a stepping-stone to bigger and better things for his promising 2-year-old Lights of Broadway, who could prove the one to beat Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the mile and 70-yard race for juveniles over the Tapeta track.

Casse also entered Eyes On the King in the Armed Forces, but said that colt would be scratched because rain prevented him from getting in his final work for the race.

Lights of Broadway, purchased for $250,000 by John Oxley at the Keeneland September yearling sale, is coming off an impressive maiden victory going a mile and 70 yards over the Tapeta strip on Sept. 10. Lights of Broadway rallied from just off the pace to a 3 1/4-length decision, for which he received a 61 Beyer Speed Figure. That was an improvement of 13 points over his debut, a fourth-place finish under similar conditions four weeks earlier.

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Casse said he wanted to run Lights of Broadway two turns right away.

“I thought his first start was pretty good and the second race a big improvement over that, and I think if he shows improvement again Saturday, it should make him a big threat in there,” he said.

Lights of Broadway will be returning on relatively short rest and must break from the rail, although neither factor seems to concern his trainer.

“He’s coming back in two weeks, but he’s a big boy and should handle it,” Casse said. “And I really don’t mind the rail going long.”

Oxley and Casse have had much success with horses who begin their careers locally. They teamed up to win the 2017 Alciabides with Heavenly Love and the Schuylerville the following summer at Saratoga with Catherinethegreat, both of whom launched their career in a maiden race at Gulfstream Park.

“Sometimes I just prefer to get them to a point where I’ve felt I’ve done enough with them on the farm and then I send them [to Palm Meadows] as a first step since it’s only a few hours away,” said Casse. “And we’ve had good luck with a lot of them moving forward from there. We’ll know a lot more where we stand with this one after Saturday.”

Tigre and Wine Empire each also comes off a maiden win going a mile and 70 yards over the synthetic strip and loom major threats in the Armed Forces.

Trained, owned, and bred by Roger Laurin, Tigre drew off to win by 5 1/2 lengths at third asking on Aug. 13. Wine Empire was haltered for $35,000 out of a win Aug. 26 and runs Saturday for the first time for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who won the Our Dear Peggy, the filly counterpart to the Armed Forces, with favored Blind Spot one week earlier.

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