Casse prepping pair for Queen's Plate in Wando

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Mark Casse will be looking to win the Queen’s Plate for the second year in a row in 2019, and will send out a pair of Queen’s Plate prospects in Sunday’s $100,000 Wando Stakes, an overnight stakes for 3-year-olds over 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta.

Both Casse runners, Federal Law and Skywire, will be looking to rebound off of disappointing races at Turfway Park last time out. Federal Law finished ninth in the Rushaway Stakes on March 9 at Turfway, and later that day, Skywire was eighth in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks.

“Turfway is such an unusual racetrack,” Casse said. “Federal Law had trained extremely well going into it. I expected him to run really well, and he didn’t. That was a bit of mystery. I wanted to get both of these horses on the Queen’s Plate road. I thought [the Wando] would be a good spot.”

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Both horses have wins over Woodbine’s Tapeta surface. Federal Law captured an allowance event over this surface in his first local start last November. Skywire won his maiden at first asking over the Tapeta on Dec. 9.

Key Contenders

Federal Law, by Scat Daddy

Last 3 Beyers: 31-75-72

◗ After his allowance win here on Tapeta on Nov. 4, Federal Law came back in two weeks to run second to Avie’s Flatter in the Coronation Futurity on Nov. 18. Avie’s Flatter won his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes on April 5 at Keeneland.

◗ Jockey Gary Boulanger retains the mount.

Skywire, by Afleet Alex

Last 3 Beyers: 66-77-65

◗ Following his maiden win Dec. 9, he was transferred to Casse’s barn where he went on to win his first start for his new trainer by six lengths in the slop on Feb. 13 at Gulfstream Park.

◗ Casse said he had considered running Skywire in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes on April 13 at Keeneland, but opted to point to the Wando instead.

Global Access, by Giant’s Causeway

Last 3 Beyers: 87-79-60

◗ He recorded the highest Beyer Speed Figure of any horse in the field in his most recent start March 31, when he captured the DRF Bets Sophomore Turf Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and earned an 87 Beyer.

◗ He won his maiden on this Tapeta surface last October and also finished third in the Display Stakes.

Curlin Grey, by Curlin

Last 3 Beyers: 73-66-76

◗ He’s been transferred to the barn of Raghunath Ravendra following a sixth-place finish in an allowance on dirt at Keeneland under the care of Ken McPeek.

◗ He made one prior start on synthetic when ninth in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 9 at Turfway Park.