Pounce after her Herecomesthebride (G3) score March 2 at Gulfstream Park (Coglianese)
Casse to Send out Trio of Juveniles
G2 Bowling Green the Next Stop for Strong Quality
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Resolute Racing’s graded stakes-winner Pounce will look to provide Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse with his first win in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Lake George, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.
The Lookin At Lucky bay [post 8, Dylan Davis, 124 pounds] has banked $236,999 through a 6-3-0-1 record led by a last-to-first score in the one-mile Grade 3 Herecomesthebride in March at Gulfstream Park.
“She ran a big race in the Herecomesthebride. The turf was extremely hard that day and that may be the key with her,” Casse said. “I’m not sure she’ll get that, but she’s doing well. Got Stormy loved it when it when the turf was hard, and she was able to get that a couple times here.”
Pounce followed her Gulfstream coup with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 2 Appalachian in April at Keeneland and was a pacesetting third last out on May 31 in the Penn Oaks.
Initially campaigned by Quintessential Racing Florida and Hat Creek Racing, Pounce was purchased in February for $370,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Digital Selected Sale. She is out of the winning Twirling Candy mare Bouncing, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes-placed Blue Harbor.
Casse, who already has three wins at the meet, will send out a trio of promising 2-year-olds this week in first-time starters English Law and Ready to Battle as well as second-time starter Salted.
Gary Barber and Pantofel Stable’s English Law [post 1, Dylan Davis, 15-1ML], a $150,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, will debut in Race 1 on Saturday here – a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juveniles.
English Law, out of the Posse mare Lawless Miss, is a half-brother to multiple graded stakes-placed Front Run the Fed [30-7-4-3, $761,211]. He worked a half-mile in 51.66 seconds July 5 over the Oklahoma training turf.
“I like him. He’s one of those horses that will run all day long,” Casse said. “You never know how good those horses are until they get in competition because they’re a horse that needs pace and probably needs a race or two.
“But I like his attitude and I like the way he moves. That’s why he’s here – if I didn’t, he’d be somewhere else,” added Casse, with a laugh.
Gary Barber’s Ready to Battle [post 10, Eric Cancel, 12-1ML] will debut in Race 7 on Sunday – a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies.
The War of Will bay, a $165,000 weanling purchase at the 2022 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, has trained over the Belmont Park dirt training track in preparation for her debut, including a half-mile effort in 50.23 on June 28. She is out of the winning Arch mare Battle Bridge.
Casse said Ready to Battle resembles her sire, who Casse saddled for a victory in the 2019 Grade 1 Preakness.
“She’s a lot like him. They were giving her a bath the other day and I looked over and for a second I thought, is War of Will here?,” said Casse, with a laugh. “She still has to show she has that talent but she’s a big filly and a good-moving thing. I don’t put a lot of emphasis on winning first time out. It’s more about development and both those horses will need some development.”
Casse will send out the well-regarded Salted [post 6, Jose Ortiz, 8-1ML] in Race 9 on Sunday – a six-furlong maiden special weight sprint for 2-year-old fillies.
The $760,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the Casse-trained Quality Road mare Salty, who won the 2018 Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs.
Campaigned by Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber, Salted debuted in May at Churchill when second in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden sprint to Adeera, who exited that event to run fifth in the Debutante.
“She ran well first time, and we scoped her afterwards and she was entrapped,” Casse said. “For her to run as well as she did speaks volumes to her. She had a minor surgery to fix that and she’s back training well. I would expect a pretty good effort from her.”
Salted worked a half-mile in 48.87 here Saturday over the main track.
“I thought her last breeze was excellent. I was very pleased with her,” Casse said.
Gary Barber and Kinsman Stable’s graded stakes-placed Strong Quality worked five-eighths in 1:00.04 over the main track Thursday in company with maiden Sandman.
Casse said Strong Quality, a 5-year-old Quality Road dark bay, will enter the 11-furlong Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green on July 28 here.
“He worked well. I usually work him by himself, but I put him with some company yesterday,” Casse said. “It was more for the other horse than it was for him, but I thought he worked extremely well. We’ll enter in the Bowling Green and see what happens.”
Strong Quality, who won the restricted Knicks Go in May at Churchill, finished off-the-board last out in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day here.
