Occasional View gets test for possible Royal Ascot start in Vigil Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Occasional View, a sharp Kentucky shipper trained by Ken McPeek, will face an accomplished local contingent Sunday at Woodbine in the seven-furlong, $150,000 Vigil Stakes.

Occasional View rallied stoutly from the rear of a tightly bunched 10-horse field to prevail last time out in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland. He earned a career-high 97 Beyer Speed Figure in the seven-furlong Polytrack sprint.

“Seven-eighths on the Polytrack is the perfect distance for him,” McPeek said. “He’s doing exceptionally well, and we’re excited for this race. If he runs well, there’s a chance we might take him to Ascot and run him in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.”

Occasional View suffered a heartbreaking neck loss after setting all the fractions in the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes here Nov. 15, his first start off the $100,000 claim by owner Robert Trussell.[bc_video_id:324015:]

“He was just a jump away from nearly paying for himself in the first run,” McPeek said. “He seems to love [the Woodbine] surface. We experimented with him a little there, running him in a longer race, and then I tried him on the dirt once, and he basically didn’t show up at all, which surprised us. Obviously, his best surface is either the synthetic or turf.”

Trainer Mark Casse entered Delegation and Dynamic Sky in the Grade 3 Vigil. Delegation, one of the leading older routers here last year, was to make his season debut here April 13 in the Jacques Cartier Stakes but was scratched.

“The day before the Jacques Cartier, he got a 103 temperature,” Casse said. “He had it for a couple days, but he’s better now. He’s had two works since then. [Patrick Husbands] was on him the other day and was really happy with him. Seven-eighths is fine for him, but he’s probably a little better going a little farther.”

Dynamic Sky went to the sidelines after finishing third in last year’s Queen’s Plate. He was a belated fifth off the long layoff in an optional-claiming sprint April 10 at Keeneland.

“I was very pleased with his comeback,” Casse said. “It was a touch short for him, but I thought he ran well against horses who had been running. He dropped back and acted like he wasn’t going anywhere, but once he started running, [Stewart Elliott] had to find somewhere to go, and he got caught pretty wide.”

Ultimate Destiny finished just ahead of Delegation for third in the 2013 Sovereign Award voting for champion older male. He hasn’t started since capturing the restricted Sir Barton Stakes on Dec. 4.

Bear No Joke, who won the Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes on Nov. 30, was supplemented for $3,000.