Casse Brings Sharp Duo to Full Dixiana Bourbon Field

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Photo: Michael Burns
War of Will (right) just misses in the Summer Stakes at Woodbine

Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse brings a pair of promising colts into the $250,000 Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (G3T) during Keeneland's opening weekend.

The Oct. 7 turf contest for 2-year-olds is a "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Challenge race that will provide the winner an all fees-paid berth into the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Churchill Downs. Sunday's 1 1/16-mile test drew an oversubscribed field of 14 that includes one filly.

Summer Stakes (G1T) runner-up War of Will, who finished three-quarters of a length behind Fog of War in that one-mile Woodbine stakes Sept. 16, is one of two entries for Casse. The War Front  colt finished third in his only other start—a Woodbine maiden race—but Casse is confident the colt owned by Gary Barber will progress.

"When we buy our horses, we try to buy later-developing horses that we think are going to get better as they get older," Casse explained. "So this time of year is when our horses tend to start doing a little better, because for the most part they're two-turn horses, and now we are just getting ready to get some ground.

"I had (War of Will) at Saratoga, but I didn't get him until late. My brother (Justin Casse) bought him in France in a 2-year-old sale, and when we got him to Saratoga he was training really well. I sent him to Woodbine to try to win the Summer even though I knew I was a little behind the eight ball. The first time I ran him, I knew he was going to be a little short in the race, and he was. Then he got a better race in the Summer, but I think he's going to keep getting better."

War of Will was a $298,550 purchase from the Arqana May 2-Year-Old Breeze-Up Sale. Bred in Kentucky by Flaxman Holdings, he is the 10th foal out of the Irish-bred Sadler's Wells mare Visions of Clarity. The mare also produced Irish group 1 winner Pathfork, as well as stakes-winning stayer Tacticus, who won the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone Stakes and 1 5/8-mile Temperence Hill Invitational Stakes in 2015.

Drayden Van Dyke has the ride aboard War of Will for the first time, and they will break from the rail Sunday.

Casse's other entry is Blockbuster, who won a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race at Kentucky Downs in his debut Sept. 13 with a sweeping move from the back of the field. The Medaglia d'Oro  colt was a $450,000 purchase by John Oxley during Fasig-Tipton's The Gulfstream Sale and sports a pedigree worth the price.

The first foal to race out of the Elusive Quality mare Elusive Jackpot, his second dam is two-time champion Silverbulletday.

Blockbuster will again get the services of Julien Leparoux from post 6.

The lone filly in the field, Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing's Concrete Rose, won her Aug. 20 debut by 1 3/4 lengths going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Saratoga Race Course. The daughter of Twirling Candy  is trained by Rusty Arnold. She drew post 4 and will be ridden by Jose Lezcano.

Also entered is Kentucky Downs Juvenile Stakes winner Henley's Joy, who is 2-for-2 with both races at a distance of one mile on the turf. He is campaigned by Bloom Racing Stable and trained by Mike Maker.


Entries: Dixiana Bourbon S. (G3T)

Keeneland, Sunday, October 07, 2018, Race 8

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/16m
  • Turf
  • $250,000
  • 2 yo
  • 5:10 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1War of Will (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Drayden Van Dyke 118 Mark E. Casse 5/2
2 2Ice City Ghost (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 120 Carl J. Deville 20/1
3 3Henley's Joy (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 120 Michael J. Maker 5/1
4 4Concrete Rose (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose Lezcano 115 George R. Arnold, II 5/1
5 5Forloveofcountry (VA) Luis Saez 118 James P. DiVito 12/1
6 6Blockbuster (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Julien R. Leparoux 118 Mark E. Casse 12/1
7 7Mr Wrench It (FL) Albin Jimenez 120 Coty Davidson 50/1
8 8Salvator Mundi (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 118 Kenneth G. McPeek 20/1
9 9Shazier (MD) Joe Bravo 118 Carlo Vaccarezza 15/1
10 10Current (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose L. Ortiz 118 Todd A. Pletcher 6/1
11 11Tracksmith (KY) Adam Beschizza 118 Joe Sharp 8/1
12 12More Than A. P. (KY) Florent Geroux 118 Chris M. Block 20/1
13 13Mick's Star (KY) Corey J. Lanerie 118 Thomas M. Amoss 10/1
14 14Pradar (KY) Jack Gilligan 118 Mikhail Yanakov 50/1
15 15Life Mission (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 118 Ben Colebrook 15/1