Casse reroutes big debut winner Hoffa's Union to Wood Memorial

Upon finding out recent private purchase Hoffa’s Union wouldn’t make the main body of Saturday’s Blue Grass Stakes (G2) field, trainer Mark Casse said he has rerouted the colt to another Kentucky Derby 2019 prep.

The son of Union Rags — a 15 1/2-length winner on debut at Laurel Park — was to board a van for New York and Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial (G2).

“He’s training well,” Casse said. “He’s a beautiful horse — got a good mind. Honestly, you never know until they run. But right now, everything we’ve seen of him, we like.

“Obviously, this is a huge step. I would have preferred to do it in Kentucky, but that option was not available.”

A full field of 14 entered the Blue Grass which, as with the Wood, pays out Derby qualifying points on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the Top 4 finsihers. Hoffa’s Union needs a victory or runner-up finish to move on to Churchill Downs.

Keeneland also hosts a last-chance Derby qualifier, the Lexington Stakes (G3), on April 13. Casse said he’s looking at graded stakes-placed runner Our Braintrust and Skywire, an allowance winner, for that event.

As for Hoffa’s Union, the $11,000 yearling purchase formerly trained by Gary Capuano was purchased by a group headed by Gary Barber and Adam Wachtel after his Feb. 28 debut. He completed 1:43.61 for about 1 1/16 miles going two turns at Laurel.

Hoffa's Union led a list of four late Triple Crown-nominated runners announced Wednesday by Churchill Downs, with the others fellow Wood Memorial contenders Grumps Little Tots and Joevia, along with 7 1/4-length first-level allowance winner Spun to Run.