Casse: Don't dismiss the other Shoemaker Mile contender
Newly-minted Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will, of course, be sending the 2019 Preakness Stakes winner War of Will to Santa Anita Park for next Memorial Day's Grade 1, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile.
The classic winner's stablemate isn't to be dismissed, either.
Sunshine Millions Turf and Wise Dan (G2) winner March to the Arch will also make the trip, with the horses scheduled to travel Monday.
Both of Casse's contenders sport impeccable turf bloodlines. Out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Vision of Clarity, War of Will was sired by War Front, while March to the Arch was sired by Arch and was bred and is owned by Live Oak Plantation in Florida.
War of Will has made his last 10 starts on dirt and picks up the services of leading Santa Anita jockey Flavien Prat for his return to the lawn. Casse was undecided on a rider for March to the Arch at press time.
“March to the Arch has been unlucky in his last couple starts,” Casse said by phone from Florida, alluding to a third while lacking room in the Grade Appleton (G3) March 28 after he altered course in the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3) when third by a head back onFeb. 8.
Additionally, the gelding was bothered when fifth by just a length in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) last Oct. 5.
“He could easily have won two of those,” Casse said. “He’s a pretty good horse in his own right. He’s going to run well.
“War of Will’s been training exceptionally well. He’s a Grade 1 winner on dirt, so we’ll see if we can make him a Grade 1 winner on the turf.”
War of Will ran four times on the grass as a 2-year-old, finishing fourth with a four-wide trip in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He was second in the Summer Stakes (G1) at Woodbine and fourth in the Bourbon (G3) at Keeneland before his Breeders’ Cup endeavor, which may have been a blessing in disguise.
“Thank goodness he had a terrible trip,” Casse said, “because if he’d have won, he may have never tried the dirt, so sometimes you have to be happy with what doesn’t happen.”
Casse, with his gentlemanly demeanor and a Cheshire cat smile, was understandably thrilled at being voted into the Hall of Fame as announced earlier this month. Born in Indianapolis and raised in Ocala, Florida, the 59-year-old has achieved international success but is most renowned for his domination of racing in Canada, where he has won the Sovereign Award as the nation’s outstanding trainer a remarkable 11 times.
Today, like all members of the racing world, Casse is coping as best he can during these challenging times, preparing on the fly as venues begin to display the “Open for Business” sign.
“We’re hanging in there,” he said. “We have a big training center in Ocala where we’ve had the majority of our horses. We just sent several to Woodbine and we’re running in Kentucky, waiting on New York and very soon we’ll be in California.
“We have so many things to be thankful for, we have to look at the good, not the bad.”