World Approval by a head in Saranac

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a meet full of tough trips and brutal beats, Norm Casse wasn’t going to allow himself to actually believe World Approval was going to win Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Saranac Stakes at Saratoga.

But win it he did. Under a ground-saving trip from Joel Rosario, World Approval outfinished Money Multiplier to the wire by a head in the Saranac for 3-year-old turf horses.

The win helped bring a positive conclusion to what had been a frustrating meet for Casse, the assistant to his father, Mark. The Casses ended the meet with three winners from 42 starters, as they also had Saranac last-place finisher Sky Hero.

“It’s been a humbling experience, but at the same time, the majority of our horses ran well; we just never had any type of luck,” Norm Casse said. “We were basically a head away from winning four stakes.”

Among their eight-second-place finishes were a nose loss in the Grade 1 Diana and a head loss in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa – both by Tepin – and a head loss with Conquest Superstep in the $200,000 Fleet Indian Stakes.

“It looked for a second like we were going to win, and I wasn’t going to let myself believe we were going to win,” Casse said of the Saranac. “We were getting beat in a lot of races like this real close. Today is a good day for us.”

World Approval finished fourth in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame Stakes with a difficult and wide trip under Jose Lezcano. On Saturday, with Rosario up, World Approval saved all the ground, got a fast pace – they went the opening half in 46.29 seconds – and then had plenty of room along the inside with which to rally.

World Approval, a 5-year-old gelding by Northern Afleet owned and bred by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:45.39, just missing the Mellon course record of 1:45.22 set by Hard Not to Like when she beat Tepin in the Diana on July 25. World Approval returned $19.80 to win.

“I thought Joel made a big difference today, and he just rode a perfect race,” Casse said.

Rosario said his goal was to keep his horse on the inside for the entire trip. Rosario was following John Velazquez on Money Multiplier until Velazquez took his horse outside of the pacesetting Nonna’s Boy.

“When Johnny pointed his horse to the outside, I said, ‘That’s my chance to go,’ ” Rosario said. “When he got there, he went really nice on through there. He moved really beautiful.”

Money Multiplier finished second by 1 1/4 lengths over Go Around, who was followed by Nonna’s Boy, Winter Springs, Takeover Target, Vision Perfect, and Sky Hero.