World Approval Captures Woodbine Mile

There are few things World Approval enjoys more than a good fight.

Mess with the 5-year-old gelding long enough and—as his human companions attest—there will often be some harsh consequences. While it's a trait that makes handling him around the barn a challenge, it's one Charlotte Weber took great comfort in as she watched longshot Dragon Bay going head-to-head with her homebred son of Northern Afleet  down the Woodbine backstretch Sept. 16.

"He's a nice horse, but he is tough. And he's just such a competitor," Weber said.

With his notorious attitude on point and his form as good as it's been, World Approval decided to have a little fun with those trying to push him around in Saturday's Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T). He let his challengers roll up to him and let them think they had a chance heading into the stretch, only to smack them in the mouth when asked for his best punch.

For the second consecutive season, trainer Mark Casse missed out on watching one of his own put on quite the display over the course his barn has dominated in recent years, as World Approval drew off under Hall of Famer John Velazquez for a 2 1/2-length win in the $800,000 Woodbine Mile.

Where a flight issue caused Casse to miss witnessing champion Tepin give her conditioner his first Woodbine Mile win a year ago, multitasking was the reason the nine-time Sovereign Award winner stayed back in Kentucky this year, as he had to shop the Keeneland September yearling sale and monitor a slew of other starters across the nation.

Leave it to one of his barn's more ornery residents to make one of the day's more challenging tasks look easy. Off his win in the Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) Aug. 12, World Approval reinforced Casse's belief that eight furlongs is where the gray runner is best. He traded blows with Dragon Bay early and then accelerated handily for Velazquez to earn his third grade 1 win and a fees-paid berth in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) at Del Mar.

"I wasn't sure how he would quicken with not having the target," Casse said from Lexington. "That's one of the things that seems to work for him. When he has a target, he quickens a little bit better. ... But there wasn't a whole lot of speed and Johnny realized that and rode him accordingly.

"I think he's so good right now. He's a great horse. He's just a professional."

Sent off as the 2-1 favorite in the 12-horse field, World Approval got position early out of post 1 and was heads apart with 68-1 shot Dragon Bay as they ran the first quarter in :23.77 and hit the half-mile mark in :46.45. World Approval's stablemate Conquest Panthera joined the fray with a three-wide move on the final turn, but any notion the finish would turn into a cavalry charge was dismissed when Velazquez shook his mount up and delivered a couple right-handed taps.

"I held my ground and kept everyone out there to see if anyone wanted to take the lead," said Velazquez, who was riding World Approval for the first time. "No one really wanted it and I just gave him the chance to see what everyone else was doing. When the five-sixteenths (pole) came, I made sure I gave him his head, so he was relaxed, and when he swept by the lane and I tapped him on the shoulder, he responded right away.

"It's a nice feeling when you feel the horse get down and start stretching out like that."

As World Approval hit the wire in 1:33.05, Lancaster Bomber ran on to get second, a half-length in front of Long On Value. Mondialiste, winner of the 2015 Woodbine Mile, came in fourth, with Arod fifth. 

Grade 1 winner Deauville faded to 11th, while Dragon Bay came across last of the dozen.

"I'm just excited as I could be for him," said Weber, who also campaigned World Approval's half brothers Za Approval, a graded stakes winner, millionaire Revved Up, and champion Miesque's Approval out of her blue hen mare Win Approval. "Johnny said, when he asked (World Approval) he gave him everything he had."

World Approval has now won four of five starts in 2017 and improved his overall record to 10 victories from 23 starts, with  $1,837,363 in earnings. 

"We found that the mile is what he wants," Casse said. "As long as he's healthy, we're going to the Breeders' Cup with him."