Sky Flight a solid choice for red-hot Oxley-Casse team
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLELOUISVILLE, Ky. – Owner John Oxley and trainer Mark Casse haven’t cornered the market on sons and daughters of Sky Mesa. It only seems that way.
The team will be represented Thursday in the Churchill Downs feature with Sky Flight, yet another Oxley-Casse runner sired by Sky Mesa. Coming off a maiden victory last month over the Keeneland turf, Sky Flight looms a solid contender in the ninth of 10 races, a $43,000, first-level allowance scheduled for a mile on turf. An oversubscribed field has been entered.
Sky Flight joins Sky Hero, Skyway, Sky Captain, and a handful of other Sky Mesa progeny developing into useful runners for Casse, a six-time Sovereign Award winner who has enjoyed another big year in winning 23 stakes, most of them in Canada, Kentucky, or California.
First post Thursday is 12:40 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going at 4:36.
Friday marks the only Downs After Dark card of the 26-day fall meet, with post time set for 4:30. The weekend highlights are a pair of Saturday turf stakes, the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere and Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf.
KEY CONTENDERS
Sky Flight (Last 2 Beyers: 77-53)
◗ This lightly raced sophomore turned back a good field of maidens last month at Keeneland, earning a nice Beyer Speed Figure, and now comes favorably drawn toward the hedge for the hot Casse stable.
Golden But Stormy (Last 3 Beyers: 84-80-72)
◗ He brings arguably the best recent form to the race, but those last two starts both were on dirt, and the weather forecast appears dubious that this will be transferred off the grass. It may be worth noting this is a 5-year-old who didn’t debut until this year.
Keystone Cop (Last 3 Beyers: 79-79-83)
◗ He owns the field-high Beyer, 85 last November, and his overall record is solid, but the nearly seven-month layoff and lack of real turf experience pose major questions.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: Trainer Ronny Werner is 3 for his last 12 with horses away more than 180 days.
Piceance (Last 3 Beyers: 81-80-76)
◗ He hasn’t raced in five months, and his 1-for-14 win slate doesn’t do a lot to encourage. Trainer Dale Romans’s stats are rather average in the relevant categories.
Plug Catcher (Last 3 Beyers: 57-65-76)
◗ A combination of so-so form, no turf experience, and tough post make this a rugged task, but that Oct. 19 sprint outing at Keeneland could prove quite useful toward this.