Red-hot Casse plans out stakes races for his juveniles
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Mark Casse has enjoyed a tremendous year so far with his 2-year-old crop, having won 25 juvenile races already in 2024 including six maiden heats at Saratoga.
Over the weekend, Casse recorded two more maiden scores at Saratoga with Sandman, a 2-year-old colt by Tapit, on Saturday and La Cara, a 2-year-old filly by Street Sense, on Sunday. Earlier maiden winners for Casse at this meet were And One More Time (Omaha Beach), Abientot (Not This Time), Dare to Breeze (Daredevil), and Classic Time (Classic Empire).
Sandman, in his second career start, rated off the pace under Dylan Davis and ran by the pacesetting Innovator to win by 1 3/4 lengths, earning an 81 Beyer Speed Figure.
Sandman races for D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and CJ Stables after his $1.2 million purchase out of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale of 2-year-olds in training, as part of the dispersal of the late Robert Lothenbach’s Thoroughbred holdings. Lothenbach did not breed commercially, generally retaining his horses to race. Since the young Sandman – a half-brother to graded stakes winner She Can’t Sing, from the family of Grade/Group 1 winners Music Note, Musical Chimes, and Mystic Guide – and his other juveniles were not originally prepared for the commercial marketplace, all of the dispersal’s offerings simply galloped during the under-tack preview show at OBS March, rather than turning in a traditional furlong or quarter-mile breeze.
“He has a wonderful pedigree, a beautiful horse, he moves nice on the track, and when you do all those things, you bring a lot of money,” Casse said.
Casse will look to run Sandman in the Grade 3, $300,000 Iroquois Stakes on Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs and then possibly the Grade 1, $600,000 Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 5 at Keeneland, prior to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
La Cara, owned and bred by Tracy Farmer, won her maiden by eight lengths on Sunday in what was her fourth career start. La Cara caught slop in her debut running sixth and came back to run second in a June 21 maiden race. Casse rushed her into a July 14 maiden race at Saratoga where she finished fourth before her victory Sunday, for which she earned an 84 Beyer.
“I like getting them up here and getting them a work over the track, and she didn’t and she ran terrible and I was really mad at myself,” Casse said. “I was more frustrated with her performance than any horse I’ve run here this meet. Then I went back and breezed her a couple of times and was like ‘Okay, she’s ready.’ ”
La Cara will likely run in the Grade 3, $300,000 Pocahontas Stakes, also Sept. 14 at Churchill.
Casse plans to run Sherbini, second in the opening-day Schuylerville, and possibly the maiden Salted, in the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway here Aug. 31.
Casse said that celebrity chef Bobby Flay has recently purchased half-interest in Sherbini, buying out the interest owned by Casse’s wife, Tina, and Gerald Hunsicker. The horse is now owned by Rocky Top Stable, Jimmy Ventura, and Flay.
Sherbini showed her talent by winning on debut, not something any of Casse’s six maiden winners at Saratoga have done.
“I don’t put a lot of emphasis on winning first time, I do put emphasis on getting started,” said Casse, who overall is 10 for 32 at the Saratoga meet.
Classic Time, a son of Casse’s 2016 champion 2-year-old Classic Empire, won a maiden auction race on dirt here July 12 in his second start. He is entered in Friday’s Skidmore Stakes scheduled for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. Casse said that Dare to Breeze, who won a maiden auction race here July 13 and was fourth in the Grade 2 Adirondack on Aug. 3, will make her next start on grass.
– additional reporting by Nicole Russo
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