Casse sending two in Best Pal

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Mark Casse brought a number of his best 2-year-olds to Del Mar this summer and plans to run two of them Sunday in the Grade 2, $200,000 Best Pal Stakes, this track’s major prep for the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Sept. 3.

Conquest Bigluck E, a winner of his lone start against maidens at Churchill Downs on June 5, and Skyway, third in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs last time out, give Casse a strong one-two punch in the 6 1/2-furlong race.

“We train on synthetic in Ocala, so we had a pretty good indication of who would like it out here,” Casse said. “I think Skyway prefers synthetic. And the other horse I think will run on anything.”

Conquest Bigluck E will be racing on a synthetic surface for the first time. Skyway was a runaway winner of his debut at Keeneland in April prior to the Bashford Manor. Keeneland at that time had a Polytrack surface, similar to what is in place at Del Mar.

The field for the Best Pal also is expected to include Bad Read Sanchez, Henry’s Holiday, Kenji’s Thunder, Rowdy Dylan, and Story to Tell, and possibly Peacenluvpeacenluv and Two Six Wins.