Breeders’ Cup: Wonder Wheel rallies to Juvenile Fillies win

Lexington, Ky.

Trainer Mark Casse just wanted everyone to see what had been obvious to him, wanted everyone to know why he had spent the summer backing himself into a corner with effusive praise every time a certain daughter of Into Mischief came up in conversation.

But as the Hall of Fame conditioner watched his leggy filly Wonder Wheel get shuffled out of her comfort zone and relegated near the rear of the field during the early portion of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, he wondered if he wasn’t seeing a worst case scenario play out that would make him eat his words.

“When we went to the first turn, I was like, oh, boy, this is not good,” Casse said. “I was watching her with my binoculars, and I saw her weaving. I thought it was her, but I wasn't sure.

“I’ve been touting her for a long time and calling her great and … it’s just nice to have everybody see what I saw. Because I thought we were in big trouble there.”

Good horses make their own luck, and the most talented 2-year-olds often flaunt talent that is well beyond their years. With jockey Tyler Gaffalione guiding her through every correct split-second decision, D.J. Stable’s Wonder Wheel made an honest man out of her trainer when she weaved her way up the inside and into daylight en route to a three-length victory over Leave No Trace in the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland Friday.

“This summer I was saying she's my next Classic Empire,” Casse gushed, referring to the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and divisional champion. “And why I was putting her in that category was (Classic Empire) won our first 2-year-old Breeders' Cup (on dirt) and I thought that she was that good. And I told anybody who would listen.

“I kind of put a little pressure on myself and there was a few times I said, ‘Now why did I do that?’ But … I tell you the way I feel.”

Casse’s high praise for Wonder Wheel was indeed rooted in evidence rather than delusion, as evidenced by the fact the dark bay filly now stands to become her trainer’s fifth individual Eclipse Award champion. Since breaking her maiden at first asking at Churchill Downs on June 3, Wonder Wheel has kept bounding forward as the tasks got heavier, with the first shot across the bow being a gate-to-wire 6 3/4-length in the Debutante Stakes at Churchill on July 4.

Though she had to settle for place honors behind Leave No Trace in the Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga on Sept. 4, Wonder Wheel showed all kinds of guts and guile when she held off Chop Chop by a nose to take the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 7.

“I thought her race in the Alcibiades was good, but I knew she would have to be even better,” Casse said. “I think I've told (co-owner) Jon (Green) the last couple weeks I've seen her, this is the best I've ever seen her train. And I told Tyler before we threw him up, I said you're sitting on a better horse today than you were a month ago.”

For all of Gaffalione’s achievements, which include an Eclipse Award in 2015 for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey and a Triple Crown victory aboard the Casse-trained War of Will in the 2019 Preakness Stakes, the affable rider had yet to hold a piece of Breeders’ Cup hardware. That all changed in artful fashion with a ride that showcased all his best abilities.

Where Wonder Wheel had been forwardly placed in her prior outings, she got outfooted out of post No. 5 going into the first turn on Friday and found herself 11th in the 13-horse field as Grand Love led the way through fractions of :22.90 and :47.22 with Leave No Trace tracking second.

Wonder Wheel was still stuck behind horses near the inside as Grand Love approached the far turn. But as the openings appeared before Gaffalione, he started moving his partner up the rail, picking off rivals with each stride and into third as they settled in for the stretch run.

“Things didn't really go as planned,” said Gaffalione on his first Breeders’ Cup-winning ride. “We wanted to be more forwardly placed. She didn't get away too well. There was a lot of traffic in that first turn – everyone trying to secure their spots. I kind of got pushed back but she settled nicely going into the backside, got into a good rhythm. And spots started opening up when we needed them. She did everything on her own.”

At the top of the lane, Gaffalione angled Wonder Wheel off the rail and set her down for the coronation as she went storming by Leave No Trace to her inside, kicking clear in late stretch on her way to stopping the teletimer in 1:44.90 over a track rated fast.

“She's a classy filly. She never misses a day of training, and she's got a great, level head,” co-owner Jon Green said. “But you still worry about asking a horse at this level to do something completely new. And that's why we employ somebody like Tyler because he just navigated her right to the rail and through an open hole and the rest is history.”

Wonder Wheel rewarded backers who sent her off at 6-1 odds while 25-1 shot Leave No Trace held for second with Raging Sea third.

“I thought she ran a very good race. We knew we were going to have to get some position the way the track is playing,” said Philip Serpe, trainer of Leave No Trace. “The first quarter was a little bit fast, but she ran game. She got the lead. Wonder Wheel beat her. We beat Wonder Wheel before. We’ll beat her again.”

Chop Chop, the 2-1 betting favorite, never fired and finished last of the baker’s dozen.

“Didn’t work out very well,” said Brad Cox, trainer of Chop Chop. “She broke, she was fine. She was a little hot in the paddock for me. I didn’t love that. She got pushed wide going into the first turn. She got pushed wide actually by the winner. The winner was ultra-impressive. We just didn’t have much horse.”

Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys and Clearsky Farms, Wonder Wheel improved her record to four wins from five starts with $1,550,725 in earnings. With an Eclipse Award all but certain to be in their future, Casse already is preparing the next big statement he may ask his filly to back up.

“I”m sure we’ll be nominated,” Casse grinned when asked about the possibility of Wonder Wheel facing males on the Kentucky Derby trail next season. “Two-year-olds can't do what she did. It's just very difficult to come from out of it. She, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being absolute class, she's a 10.”