Casse brings top contenders to graded turf races at Tampa Bay

Close calls abound at the racetrack, even when they don’t happen on the track. Consider the case of Candy Quest, the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Endeavour Stakes, to be run at a distance of 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Tampa Bay Downs. The Endeavour is the ninth and final race on a Saturday card beginning at 12:25 p.m. EST.

Two summers ago at Saratoga, Candy Quest was an unraced $225,000 yearling purchase preparing to launch her career. She was sent to the sidelines by a bizarre accident.

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“She ran through the webbing of her stall and stuck a nail in her foot,” recalled trainer Mark Casse. “She missed some time, but she’s been very solid since she started racing.”

The 4-year-old filly, who broke her maiden in her career debut in her lone 2-year-old start on Oct. 3, 2024 at Belmont At The Big A, has crafted a 3-for-9 record with three seconds for Casse and owner Glassman Racing, including a victory last July in the Ontario Colleen (G3) at Woodbine. She will break from the rail under jockey Sonny Leon in a field of 11 older fillies and mares.

After winning the Ontario Colleen, Candy Quest rallied from last place in the Dueling Grounds Oaks Invitational on Sept. 10 at Kentucky Downs, taking a short-lived lead in the stretch before succumbing by a half-length to Fionn. More recently, on Oct. 11 in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland, Candy Quest was fifth, a head behind Fionn and five lengths behind winner Lush Lips.

Fionn returned from that start to win the Grade III Jockey Club Oaks on Nov. 15 at Aqueduct. Will Candy Quest match her?

“Candy Quest has always been very talented and has been training well, but she has to play with the big girls now,” Casse said. “She was able to run all year against 3-year-olds, and now the water gets deeper. But I’d say for the most part she was running against the best 3-year-olds around, so I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Casse will also saddle the morning-line favorite for the $175,000 Tampa Bay Stakes (G3), Live Oak Plantation’s 7-year-old gelding Win for the Money, regarded at opening odds of 7-5. Leon will also ride Win for the Money, who won the Woodbine Mile (G1) in September of 2024, in a field of eight older horses. Win for the Money starts from post 6.

In the Tampa Bay Stakes, Win for the Money will be looking for his first victory since the Woodbine Mile, but the majority of his efforts have been encouraging. He finished third in the Kelso (G3) Stakes on July 5 at Saratoga and was third in the Fourstardave Stakes (G1) on Aug. 2, also at the Spa.

On Dec. 27 at Gulfstream, he returned from a 3 1/2-month layoff to finish second in an allowance/optional claiming race at the Tampa Bay Stakes distance, beaten a half-length by Abrumar, who may have run a career best. “He (Win for the Money) had a troubled trip, and I think he should move forward off that race,” Casse said.

“When he gets the right set-up and gets a good trip, he can play with the big kids. So if he brings his ‘A’ game he should be extremely tough – and I don’t see any reason he shouldn’t.”

Casse’s full attention will be devoted to his Oldsmar runners after the postponement earlier this week of the Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas due to extreme weather conditions. The Southwest has been rescheduled for Friday and Casse still plans to start his duo of Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic.