Casse wins Woodbine Stakes with Catch a Glimpse, Conquest Daddyo

After winning the Natalma with an 8-1 shot Catch a Glimpse an hour earlier, trainer Mark Casse came back two races later to take the $226,400, Grade 2 Summer Stakes, another Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In event, with an even bigger longshot, 15-1 Conquest Daddyo, Saturday at Woodbine.

Ridden for the first time by Joe Bravo, Conquest Daddyo, one of two in the race for Casse and Conquest Stables, powered up to challenge  leader Manhattan Dan in mid-stretch, then pulled away to win by one and three-quarter lengths over Sky Marshal. 

Manhattan Dan hung on for third in the one mile contest for two-year-olds, while Conquest Enforcer, the more highly-regarded Conquest runner, was a good fourth in his debut after threatening the leaders in mid-stretch.

Conquest Daddyo, an Ontario-bred son of Scat Daddy-Hangingbyamoment who cost $350,000 as a yearling, had come into the Summer off a maiden win in July and a closing runner-up finish in the Vandal Stakes on August 15, both over Woodbine’s Polytrack. But he was making his turf debut in the Summer against some well-respected runners, like the 5-2 favourite The Zip Zip Man, Hammers Vision and his stablemate.

Manhattan Dan and jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson took the field through early fractions of :22.74, :46.25 and 1:11.06 over a ‘good’ turf course.  Meanwhile, Bravo had Conquest Daddyo back in eighth until the field came off the far turn.  Sweeping to the front on the outside by mid-stretch, Conquest Daddyo repulsed a late charge by Sky Marshal to post the victory timed in 1:36.61.

Manhattan Dan, who was still in front when the field turned into the long E.P. Taylor Turf Course stretch, hung on for third while Conquest Enforcer tired late to finish fourth.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” said Bravo.   “I was on eight races at Kentucky Downs today and the card was cancelled last night.  I figured I had the day off.   Thanks, Mark.’

“What a cool little horse. He was so quiet and relaxed. Down the backside I watched the race unfold and he was so content and in charge of everything. When we got to the top of the lane I asked him and he was there for us. The whole race he was like that, in control of it all.

“Did you see the move he put on those horses? He made the lead a lot faster than I expected. I wish I knew him a little better. I hope I get to sit on him next time because he has a real turn of foot if you let him get into himself.”

For Casse and Conquest Stables, it was their third consecutive Summer win, following victories by My Conquestadory in 2013 in her racing debut and last year by Conquest Typhoon.

Dragon Bay was a gate scratch, leaving a field of nine hopefuls.

The win by Conquest Daddyo was not only worth $144,000 to his owners, but he also earned a berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Friday, October 30 at Keeneland.

“Obviously, we loved the other horse (Conquest Enforcer), but he had a tall task, especially with some give to the turf,” said Casse, reached by phone in Kentucky after the race.   “I nearly scratched him but if I scratched him I didn't know what we would do next so I went ahead and ran him.

“It doesn't surprise me at all. This horse (Conquest Daddyo) worked extremely well on the grass the other day. Scat Daddys love the grass and this is a big, long-striding colt that's just going to get better the farther he runs.

“I'm sure it is (next stop Keeneland).  I haven't had a chance yet to talk to Ernie (Semersky, co-owner of Conquest Stables), but he loves the Breeders' Cup and I'm sure he'll be excited to get there.”

Conquest Daddyo paid $33.80, $13.80 and $7.90, teaming with Sky Marshal ($9.60, $6.60) for a $263 (7-1) exactor.  A 7-1-3 (Manhattan Dan, $5.10) triactor was worth $1,655.30 while a $1 Superfecta [7-1-3-4 (Conquest Enforcer)] returned a whopping $4,417.10.

Catch a Glimpse romps in Natalma

It certainly wasn’t news that trainer Mark Casse won Saturday’s Grade 2 $212,800 Natalma Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In event.  After all, it’s the sixth time since 2006 that he’s done so.

What was news was that the winner, Catch a Glimpse, was dismissed at odds of 8-1 after impressively winning the prep for the race on August 22.

With Florent Geroux in the irons, Catch a Glimpse went immediately to the front in the one mile turf stake for two-year-old fillies and never looked back, posting fractions over the ‘good’ lawn softened by overnight rain of :23.63, 47.57 and 1:12.11, before widening down the lane and reaching the wire five  lengths in front in 1:35.95.

Her nine rivals were lucky indeed to catch a glimpse of her, but heavily-favoured Gamble’s Ghost did her best, closing on the outside to finish second, with previously-unbeaten dual stakes winner Caren third in her turf debut.

Catch a Glimpse thus earned her connections an all-expenses paid trip to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, scheduled for Friday, October 30.

Owned by Gary Barber, Windways Farm (Jeff Begg) and Mike Ambler, the daughter of City Zip-Halo River, a $75,000 Keeneland yearling purchase, earned $120,000 for the victory, with a promising future on the horizon.

“I just tried to calm her down, she was very happy.  When I asked her turning for home, she gave me a very nice kick and won the race pretty easily,” said Geroux, aboard for the first time.  “She’s not very big but she’s very tough and very fast.”

“I saw her at Keeneland last year and she looked fast standing still,” recalled Begg.   “I wound up buying her and then Mike Ambler and Gary Barber bought a piece of her.  She always looked like she’d probably be headed to the turf with her pedigree and she proved us right.    Well, I would expect so (onto the Breeders’ Cup).  It’s in Kentucky this year, there’s a good chance the turf will be similar to today with a little give and she obviously liked it.”

Catch a Glimpse debuted at Saratoga on July 30, but the race came off the grass and she floundered in the slop, finishing a well-beaten fifth in the five and one-half furlong sprint.

Then came her big effort in the Natalma prep over seven furlongs of grass on August 22, when she won in front-running fashion by a handy one and three-quarter lengths.  She was also 8-1 that day, and the chestnut filly followed up with a dominating performance on Saturday.

Said jockey Luis Contreras, aboard the 3-2 choice Gamble’s Ghost, who was also making her turf debut after an impressive maiden won on Polytrack, “My trip was perfect. By the time I got to swing out at the quarter pole, I lost a couple lengths there. She broke nice and she was nice and comfortable. She was strong at the end, but she just had a little too much to do.”

Catch a Glimpse paid $19.80, $6.60 and $4.80, combining with Gamble’s Ghost ($3.20, $2.70) for a $70.10 (9-4) exactor.  A 9-4-1 (Caren, $3.80) triactor was worth $456.10 while a $1 Superfecta [9-4-1-3 (Most Inspiring) returned $1,233.95.

Source: Woodbine Communications Office