Casse Hopes for a Wild Ride in Spa's Spinaway

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is hoping for a wild ride in the $300,000 Spinaway Stakes (G1) Sept. 4 at Saratoga Race Course. It will be up to his 2-year-old filly Wonder Wheel  to provide the excitement in the Spinaway, the biggest event of the Saratoga season for the juvenile ladies.

Wonder Wheel is aptly named to potentially give the Casse barn some thrills and some hope for the future.

The filly's owner, New Jersey-based D. J. Stable, which is operated by Jon Green with his father, Len Green, named the daughter of Into Mischief   for the iconic 150-foot Ferris wheel at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

A field of 10 has been entered for the seven-furlong race, including the winners of the meet's two earlier graded juvenile filly races: Clarkland Farm's Just Cindy , who won the opening day Schuylerville (G3) and Holy Cow Stable's Naughty Gal , who took the Adirondack (G3).

Casse has already talked confidently about Wonder Wheel, who has won her first two starts by a combined nine lengths. The most recent came in the listed Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs on July 4 when she won by 6 3/4 lengths.

It got Casse to thinking that he might have something in this young filly, who was a $275,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling sale.

He dared to say aloud that Wonder Wheel reminded him of horses he has trained in the past, like Classic Empire   (Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male in 2016), Wonder Gadot  (a three-time Sovereign Award winner in Canada), and War of Will   (2019 Preakness Stakes, G1, winner and also a grade 1 winner on grass, Maker's Mark Mile in 2020).

"I know, and I worry about that a little bit saying that with only two starts," Casse said. "But that is what she has shown me."

Casse said Wonder Wheel has given him that kind of vibe since she came into the barn.

She has been at Saratoga all summer and has shown five works. Casse said he never considered running his prized filly in the $200,000 Adirondack Stakes Aug. 7.

"That was by design," Casse said. "You can't run in all of them. She has trained tremendously. You don't have them come around that often. From the beginning, she has always been ahead of the class and her two performances have been super. I'll be nervous because when you think you have a good one, you get nervous."

One change that Casse will make is that Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will be on board for the first time, replacing Tyler Gaffalione, who rode Wonder Wheel in her first two starts. Gaffalione left the Spa to ride at the Kentucky Downs meet.

Trainer Eddie Kenneally took Just Cindy, a daughter of Justify  , back to his base at Keeneland after her 2 1/4-length score in the Schuylerville. She has had five works in Lexington since the Schuylerville.

Luis Saez will become the third different jockey to ride Just Cindy. Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode her in the Schuylerville, is riding WinStar Farm's Aunt Shirley  in the Spinaway.

"She has done very, very well since the Schuylerville," Kenneally said. "We brought her back to Keeneland and she hasn't missed a beat. She is in great shape."

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will saddle Naughty Gal, who despite a wide trip in the Adirondack, was still able to prevail by 2 1/2 lengths. She will also have a new rider as Jose Ortiz replaces Saez.

Naughty Gal is another daughter of Into Mischief.

"She is a strong, big, powerful filly," Lukas said. "One of the best horsemen I know called me the other day and said, 'Boy, that's a good-looking son of a (gun) you ran in the Adirondack.' She is a picture of conformation. Her development, strength, and size are incredible. You want to study one and how they're supposed to look at this age, she's it. In every way."

Here is the field, in post position order: Kaling , trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; Miss Georgie , trained by Lacey Gaudet and owned by Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver, and Kenneth Fishbein; Apple Picker , trained by Rudy Rodriguez and owned by Michael Dubb; Naughty Gal; Just Cindy; Leave No Trace , trained by Phil Serpe and owned by WellSpring Stables; Sabra Tuff , trained by Dallas Stewart and owned by Valene Farms; Aunt Shirley, trained by Rodolphe Brisset; Wonder Wheel; and American Rockette , trained by Bill Mott and owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations.