Za Approval gets more ground in Eclipse Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Za Approval made his synthetic-surface debut with a third-place finish in his most recent start in the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes on May 17 and will be looking to find the winner’s circle this time around in Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Eclipse Stakes at Woodbine.

Trainer Mark Casse said the Vigil wasn’t initially in the plans for Za Approval, but the 7-year-old gelding wound up in the seven-furlong sprint on Polytrack when the prep for this race that was scheduled for May 16 didn’t fill.

“That last race was kind of an audible at the line,” Casse said. “The Eclipse prep was the day before, and it didn’t go. We were sitting there looking at three weeks until [this race], and when the Vigil was coming up with a small field, I decided at the last minute to go ahead and go there. We wanted to find out how well he handled the synthetic, and I thought he handled it quite well.”

Casse said Za Approval had breezed well on Polytrack leading up to his synthetic debut.

“He trained well over it, so we expected him to [run well over it], but you never know until you try,” he said. “He’s been training very well [since the Vigil].”

Casse also supplemented Florida Won to the 1 1/16-mile Eclipse Stakes but said he was leaning toward scratching him since the horse raced just two weeks ago.

Key Contenders

Za Approval (Last 3 Beyers: 83-83-97)

◗ Za Approval rallied well down the stretch to be third in the Vigil and could have had a better result if jockey Patrick Husbands didn’t have to steady going into the far turn. He’ll stretch out to a distance for which he’s a little better suited and should be a major threat in this field.

Avie’s Quality (Last 3 Beyers: 86-75-93)

◗ Avie’s Quality has won two of his last three starts with strong Beyer Speed Figures, including a victory in his first start of the year last time out at this distance.

◗ He won the Display Stakes in 2012 but is unproven at the graded stakes level, finishing more than 10 lengths behind the winner in both of his graded stakes starts.

His Race to Win (Last 3 Beyers: 96-83-93)

◗ Will make his first start of 2015 in the Eclipse but finished his 2014 campaign strongly in the Grade 3 Durham Cup Stakes last October, finishing three-quarters of a length behind last year’s older male champion, Lukes Alley.

◗ He won the Grade 3 Seagram Cup on Polytrack at this distance last season.