Casse sends out winning exacta in Cellars Shiraz
Prior to the $65,000 Cellars Shiraz on Friday, trainer Mark Casse said he was a fan of the newly installed Tapeta track at Gulfstream Park. Following the about one-mile and 70-yard race for 3-year-old fillies his fondness for the synthetic surface likely grew as horses he trains, Inthewinnerscircle and Mademoiselle Nova, finished first and second.
Inthewinnerscircle paid $13.40 while recording a final time of 1:42.17 over a surface that as advertised, held up well under a steady pelting of rain that turned the main track into a sea of slop.
Inthewinnerscircle trailed the field early and under a heady ride by Cristian Torrez worked her way between horses to move into contention on the stretch turn. She angled four wide turning for home and finished with determination to edge Mademoiselle Nova by a neck.
Mademoiselle Nova took over the lead at the half-mile mark, opened up a clear advantage in the stretch, but could not hold off her stablemate. Tik Tok Famous made a strong move while going wide around the second turn, looked like a serious threat in mid-stretch, but hung late while finishing a neck behind Mademoiselle Nova.
A daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, Inthewinnescircle was bred in Florida by her owner, Live Oak Plantation.