Casse Brings Duo With Star Potential to Schuylerville
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Photo: Coady Photography
Beautiful Memories romps in her debut at Churchill Downs
As the Saratoga Race Course meet begins July 16, the $100,000 Schuylerville Stakes (G3) has attracted its usual high-quality field of 2-year-old fillies. Trainer Mark Casse has a pair entered that he feels are "very talented."
"Beautiful Memories has done things at our training center that I have never seen a 2-year-old do," Casse said.
The John Oxley homebred daughter of Hard Spun romped in a May 28 maiden special weight at Churchill Downs while going five furlongs. After setting fractions of :22 and :45.29 through four furlongs, the filly opened up nine lengths in the stretch and won by 10 at the wire under jockey Jose Ortiz, who returns in the Schuylerville.
"I wasn't shocked by her performance," Casse added. "But we need to see her to continue to thrive and get better and better. She could be extremely special."
Those are strong words coming from the Canadian Hall of Fame trainer who has been selected for the the U.S. Hall of Fame as well and conditioned the likes of champions Tepin and World Approval. Beautiful Memories posted back-to-back bullet works at Churchill Downs—breezing five furlongs June 27 in :59 to be the fastest of 48, and repeating the distance July 4 in :59 1/5 to be the fastest of 34 as she prepared for Thursday's six-furlong test.
The filly boasts a strong pedigree as a half sister to grade 2 winner Kimbear. Her third dam is the champion six-time grade 1 winner Beautiful Pleasure. She will break from post 3 among a field of eight maiden winners.
Casse's other trainee, Make Mischief, drew the rail. The Into Mischief filly also broke her maiden on debut, taking a June 18 maiden test for New York-bred fillies at Belmont Park by a half-length.
"Make Mischief did win her first start, but I was a little disappointed in her," Casse said. "She is another filly that trained well this winter. I'm not sure, and I hope that her first race was not a true indication of her ability, because I think she's better than that. Unfortunately, I think the one-hole is going to hinder her some on Thursday."
Make Mischief races for Gary Barber, and in her first start she sat off the pace in second under Ortiz, who had to urge her into that position down the backstretch. After settling behind fractions of :22.05 and :45.52 for the half-mile, Ortiz roused her again in the stretch run where she inched closer to the leader, but shied and steadied around the sixteenth pole before edging to victory.
Noting that he likes his horses to gain experience from each race, Casse said that "both fillies should run well."
John Velazquez will replace Ortiz aboard Make Mischief in the Schuylerville.
Trainer Wesley Ward has entered Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Sunny Isle Beach, who the couple purchased for $15,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale from Taylor Made Sales. The Jimmy Creed filly, bred in partnership by the Ramseys and Dixiana Farms, won her June 6 debut at Churchill Downs by a head after rallying from fourth.
Another Churchill Downs debut winner entered Thursday is the Steve Asmussen-trained Hopeful Princess, who won May 21 for Stonestreet Stables. The remaining four contenders won first-or second-time out at Gulfstream Park.
Saratoga Race Course, Thursday, July 16, 2020, Race 8Entries: Schuylerville S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Make Mischief (NY)
John R. Velazquez
120
Mark E. Casse
12/1
2
2Hara (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
120
Antonio Sano
10/1
3
3Beautiful Memories (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
120
Mark E. Casse
6/5
4
4Quinoa Tifah (FL)
Manuel Franco
120
Juan Alvarado
15/1
5
5Sunny Isle Beach (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
120
Wesley A. Ward
15/1
6
6Queen Arella (NY)
Joel Rosario
120
Roderick R. Rodriguez
6/1
7
7Dayoutoftheoffice (KY)
Junior Alvarado
120
Timothy E. Hamm
15/1
8
8Hopeful Princess (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
120
Steven M. Asmussen
2/1
