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.
Keeneland, Sunday, October 07, 2018, Race 8Entries: Dixiana Bourbon S. (G3T)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1War of Will (KY)
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)
Jose Lezcano
115
George R. Arnold, II
5/1
5
5Forloveofcountry (VA)
Luis Saez
118
James P. DiVito
12/1
6
6Blockbuster (KY)
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)
Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.
118
Kenneth G. McPeek
20/1
9
9Shazier (MD)
Joe Bravo
118
Carlo Vaccarezza
15/1
10
10Current (KY)
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)
Florent Geroux
118
Ben Colebrook
15/1