Woodbine: Casse has pair of contenders in Golden History, Sky Dreamer

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Mark Casse, Woodbine’s perennial leading trainer, has been a slow starter at the meet in recent years, and this year is no exception. It shouldn’t be too long before he heats up, however, and he will send out the entry of Golden History and Sky Dreamer in Friday’s eighth race, a first-level allowance for 3-year-old fillies.

Golden History rallied wide from the back of the pack to win her Oct. 2 debut here on the Polytrack over seven furlongs, the distance of Friday’s feature. She subsequently finished fifth and then fourth in two Grade 2 stakes at Churchill, the Pocahontas and Golden Rod.

Golden History was freshened after ending up sixth in a Jan. 5 optional claimer at Gulfstream. She finished a belated fifth in a stakes for graduates of OBS Sales most recently at the Ocala Training Center.

Luis Contreras retains the mount on Golden History, an expensive 2-year-old purchase by John Oxley, who is the owner-breeder of Sky Dreamer.

Sky Dreamer also won at first asking at 2, but her maiden triumph took place on the grass under regular rider Patrick Husbands. She went on to finish seventh in two lucrative stakes, the Grade 3 Natalma and Mazarine.

Sky Dreamer has been idle since her third-place finish as the favorite in an Oct. 28 allowance. She has worked five-eighths six times leading up to this engagement, and should be pretty fit.

Taker Home is an intriguing newcomer to the local scene. Owner-trainer Barb Pirie claimed her from her Dec. 30 maiden victory for $25,000 at Gulfstream, and then sent her out for a nose loss in an optional claiming event there a month later. She was ambitiously spotted in the Feb. 25 Davona Dale Stakes, in which she came up empty and trailed the field.

Quincy Welch will ride Taker Home, who is competing on a synthetic surface for the first time following two Polytrack works.

Woollahra was also winter-raced at Gulfstream, where she finished fifth in two $50,000 starter allowances on the grass. Two horses have exited her last race to score.

Katie Get Excited possesses two of the highest Beyers in the field, 77 and 73, which were earned when she ran second and first in maiden special weight company last summer. She wintered in Ocala and has worked well for her first outing in eight months.

Promiscuous could be the pacemaker. She got the winter off after taking a six-furlong maiden special Oct. 26, and has been working over the deep Payson Park surface in Florida.