Casse Sends Out Talented Pair in Juvenile Fillies

When it comes to race day, trainers often say, "It's all about the break." Mark Casse—who has several Breeders' Cup starters, including two in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) breaking from posts 2 and 3—confirms this theory. 

"It really is. We need the break," Casse said.

To the inside of Gary Barber's Two Sixty (post 2) and Tracy Farmer's Perfect Alibi (post 3) is speedy 3-1 morning-line favorite Donna Veloce. 

"If the '1' horse breaks, she's going to be on the lead. If she doesn't, we might be," Casse said. 

And that position would be with 15-1 chance Two Sixty, a Florida-bred who has raced exclusively at Gulfstream Park and faced state-bred stakes company in her past three outings. Bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds out of the Put It Back mare Jim's Lonesa, Two Sixty was a $260,000 purchase from S G V Thoroughbreds at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale. A pinhook for S G V Thoroughbreds, the filly was bought as a yearling by the operation for $72,000 at the 2018 OBS October Yearling Sale. 

"She's a filly we thought a lot of," Casse said. "She's beautiful. She has a nice walk."

Two Sixty broke her maiden by four lengths on debut July 6, then ran third in the slop Aug. 3 in the six-furlong Desert Vixen Stakes. In the seven-furlong Susan's Girl Stakes, she dumped Edgard Zayas early after ducking out.

"She sees things that not everyone else sees," Casse said. "I was talking to Edgar, and he said she was running along and a horse came over on her and she put on the brakes a little and he went flying."

Two Sixty bounced back with a 6 1/4-length win in the 1 1/16-mile My Dear Girl Stakes, earning a 98 Equibase Speed Figure (80 Beyer Speed Figure).

"The reason we came (to the Breeders' Cup) was because in her last race, she didn't beat much of anything but she ran fast and got a good number, and it's right there with the rest of them," Casse said.

Two Sixty is a daughter of Uncaptured , whom Casse trained for John Oxley. 

"Uncaptured was just a perfect horse," Casse said. "He did everything right."

Uncaptured, by Lion Heart, was Canada's Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old male of 2012. He won the Prince of Wales Stakes at 3 and was retired to Ocala Stud in 2015. He stood for $6,000 this year.

The break may not be as important for Perfect Alibi, a dark bay daughter of Sky Mesa . 

She has tested graded stakes company at Saratoga Race Course and Keeneland and has also started at Churchill Downs and Belmont Park. She won the Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga and was second to British Idiom in the Oct. 4 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1), beaten 6 1/2 lengths.

Perfect Alibi was bred in Kentucky by Pin Oak Stud out of No Use Denying, by Maria's Mon. She was a $220,000 purchase at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale, from the Denali Stud consignment and is a 10-1 hopeful for the Juvenile Fillies.

"She travels fine," Casse said. "She's extremely smart. She's a big filly—she's like 17 hands.

"I think she really struggled with the track at Keeneland. I was expecting her to run a little better in the Alcibiades. Hopefully, she gets over this track better."