Casse planning on Lecomte for War of Will

The Mark Casse barn won recent Fair Grounds races with two promising 2-year-old turf horses, and a 2-year-old dirt horse of interest also is bound for the Casse string in New Orleans.

Moon Colony, an Uncle Mo colt owner John Oxley paid $400,000 to acquire at auction, stalked and pounced on a slow pace to win a first-level two-turn turf allowance race by two lengths on Nov. 29. On Dec. 9, the Stonestreet Stables homebred colt Philosophy caught the eye capturing a turf-sprint maiden race by nearly six lengths.

They appear likely to stick to grass racing – at least for the time being – but Casse said he plans to send War of Will to Fair Grounds to start Jan. 19 in the Lecomte Stakes, the first two-turn dirt race for open 3-year-olds on the track’s stakes schedule.

War of Will made his first four starts on turf, finishing second in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine, fourth in the Grade 3 Bourbon at Keeneland, and fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill, all while still a maiden. He was moved to the main track Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs and broke through with a five-length maiden win over a sloppy track.

“He trained so good on dirt we thought we’d give it a try,” said Casse, whose Fair Grounds string is ably overseen by assistant David Carroll. “He won really easily.”

War of Will, a War Front colt owned by Gary Barber, was based at Casse’s training center in Florida through early January but soon will ship to Fair Grounds to prepare for the Lecomte.

Philosophy, out of the French Deputy mare Scarlet Tango, has four graded stakes-winning siblings and enough stamina in his pedigree to get a look in a two-turn turf allowance in his next race. But Moon Colony, whose dam, Promenade Girl, produced the Grade 1 winner Cavorting, is all but out of Fair Grounds turf options as a two-time winner in his age set. Casse will have to look at out-of-town stakes races if he’s to keep the colt on turf, and Moon Colony already strongly hinted in one experiment that he doesn’t desire dirt.

“The turf program for horses like that, you don’t have any places to go at Fair Grounds,” Casse said. “They have plenty of turf horses. They can’t compete with Oaklawn on purses, but they have something Oaklawn doesn’t have in a turf course, and they should make that work for them.”

Jones filly stands out in feature

Trainer Larry Jones just sent one female sprinter out to a Fair Grounds stakes win last weekend. He has another of that sort of quality for the featured seventh race Thursday.

Astrollinthepark ran below form in a Churchill stakes race last out, but on her day is the most likely winner of a third-level dirt-sprint allowance race (with an $80,000 claiming option) restricted to fillies and mares.

Astrollinthepark was pressing the pace on the backstretch of the Dream Supreme Stakes on Nov. 4 at Churchill when she got into a touch of traffic and backed out of contention. Any of her previous five performances, however, would make her formidable for seven rivals Thursday, and Astrollinthepark has a win and a second from two previou Fair Grounds starts.

She’ll be hard-pressed, however, to hit the same mark as stablemate Ours to Run in the $100,000 Louisiana Ladies Sprint on Saturday’s Louisiana Champions Day program. Ours to Run ran right back to a sharp comeback showing in the Nov. 18 Happy Ticket Stakes, bursting to the lead in upper stretch, winning by five lengths, and posting an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

◗ Classy John might’ve earned a class hike into open stakes winning the Champions Day Juvenile by more than four lengths while not apparently asked for his best. Trained by Dallas Stewart for Murray Valene, the son of Songandaprayer got an 84 Beyer winning for the second time in three races.