Wonder Wheel winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
Casse Seeks Sixth Straight Selene Success
Bill Tallon, for Woodbine Communications / @WoodbineComms
TORONTO, On. – Wonder Wheel, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies en route to honours as the Eclipse Award winner in her division last year, will be looking to revitalize a subpar sophomore campaign when she makes her local debut in Saturday’s Selene Stakes, at Woodbine.
The Selene, the major local prep for the July 23 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser, will share billing on the blockbuster Canada Day program with the Marine Stakes, the penultimate stakes step on the road to the August 20 King’s Plate. Both the Selene, which attracted 10 entrants, and the eight-deep Marine, are open Grade 3, 1 1/16-mile races for 3-year-olds.
Mark Casse, who conditions Wonder Wheel and also will field Solo Album, will be looking for a sixth straight and ninth overall Selene success. Patrick Husbands, aboard for five of those wins, will ride Wonder Wheel for the first time in what is also her debut on a synthetic surface.
Wonder Wheel, who had won Keeneland’s Grade 1 Alcibiades at 1 1/16 miles prior to her Breeders’ Cup tour de force, began her current season with a second-place finish in the mile and 40-yard Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
Casse believed that effort would have Wonder Wheel primed for Keeneland’s Grade 1 Ashland, which in turn was to be her springboard to the Kentucky Oaks, only to watch her finish a non-threatening sixth in Lexington and then end a troubled ninth of 14 in the Louisville showpiece.
“I was really disappointed with her effort in the Ashland,” said the trainer, from his Ocala base. “And the Oaks was kind of a weird-run race. Then I wanted to get her up there and train her on the Tapeta. I just find that horses thrive at Woodbine, more than anywhere. I just kind of felt like we needed to get her back to square one, try to get her some confidence.”
Solo Album comes into the Selene off a front-running maiden score over 1 1/16 miles when returning to Woodbine for her sixth career start and third of this season.
“She’s a filly that’s kind of one speed, likes Tapeta, runs long,” said Casse. “She’s got a really big pedigree. If she could just get some black type, it would mean a lot for her in the future.”
Saffie Joseph, Jr., whose primary base is Gulfstream Park, has had Blind Spot and Be My Sunshine preparing for the Selene on site and is shipping up Honor D Lady.
Blind Spot finished first in the six-furlong Star Shoot on April 29 but was found to be guilty of interfering with the runner-up and had her number taken down.
The Maryland-bred won the listed Our Dear Peggy over a mile and 70 yards on Gulfstream’s Tapeta surface but Joseph expects the Selene to be a tougher spot.
“This is a different class,” he said.
The Kentucky-bred Be My Sunshine will be making her stakes and Tapeta debut after running well at both Gulfstream and Keeneland.
“She missed some time, and might be short a work or two, but I’m hoping she’ll run well,” said Joseph.
Honor D Lady ran well when shipping north last fall, ending a close third in the 1 1/16-mile Mazarine. The Kentucky-bred became a stakes winner this spring in the listed Honey Ryder, a one-mile turf race at the Hallandale Beach oval, before rallying to finish third there in the listed Martha Washington over 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic strip.
‘She’s going into this race with a good chance,” offered Joseph. “She got a little far back last time.”
The Woodbine Oaks eligibles in the field are Tito’s Calling, Friends for Life, Dolce Sopresa, Speed Trap and Fortyfiveseventy.
FIELD FOR THE $150,000 GRADE 3 SELENE STAKES
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Fortyfiveseventy – Ryan Munger – Barbara Minshall
2 – Friends for Life – Eswan Flores – Stuart Simon
3 – Honor D Lady – Edgard Zayas – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
4 – Dolce Sopresa – Justin Stein – Josie Carroll
5 – Be My Sunshine – Kazushi Kimura – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
6 – Wonder Wheel – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
7 – Speed Trap – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
8 – Blind Spot – Rafael Hernandez – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
9 – Tito’s Calling – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Ross Armata, Jr.
10 – Solo Album – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
