Casse's commitment rewarded with Sir Winston's Belmont win
Mark Casse says Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston is “kind of what our operation represents.”
“I feel like we develop horses,” the trainer said Saturday.
Casse’s commitment to development paid off at Belmont Park with a 3-year-old who entered the day sporting only two wins in nine starts and a 0-for-5 record in graded stakes.
Sir Winston, under jockey Joel Rosario and at 10-1 odds, saved ground early before pouncing off the far turn. He found position to pass pace setters Tax and Joevia, then had enough kick to hold off hard-charging Tacitus at the wire to win by a length.
The Belmont triumph was the pinnacle of a career that started in a forgettable manner.
“At this time last year, if you had asked me to rate our top 20 2-year-olds, he would’ve been about 16th or 17th,” Casse said.
The Awesome Again colt ran sixth last June in his debut at Churchill Downs, 13 ¾ lengths behind the winner. In his second start, Sir Winston was ninth in July at Saratoga, 11 ¾ lengths off the pace.
“I can remember having a conversation with (owner Tracy) Farmer up at Saratoga,” Casse said. “He didn’t run very well.
“I said, ‘Don’t give up on him. It’s crazy, but I see something. Let’s just give him some time to develop.’”
Sir Winston finished off his 2-year-old year with two wins in three starts, including in the listed Display Stakes.
Casse wanted to give Sir Winston a shot at stakes company on American soil, so he entered him in February’s Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct. He finished fourth, running five lengths behind winner and future Belmont rival Tax.
Then it was on to Florida, as Casse chased Kentucky Derby points. The trainer thought his horse could handle the mile-and-a-quarter distance the first Saturday in May and wanted to be in the hunt for a Derby spot.
“I said, ‘If we can get him to the Kentucky Derby, I’m not promising you that he can win, but he’ll run really well,’” Casse recalled of a conversation with Farmer.
That Derby bid never came. Sir Winston first ran a well-beaten fifth March 9 in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2). He also didn't factor April 6 at Keeneland, coming home seventh in another Derby prep, the Blue Grass Stakes (G2).
Casse regrouped and found another goal to chase.
“I said to Mr. Farmer, ‘What about the Peter Pan?’” Casse said. “I said, ‘He’ll love Belmont. He’ll love the big turn, a mile and an eighth. If he comes running, we’ll run him in the Belmont.’ He said, ‘Sounds like a plan.’ …
“So that’s how we got here.”
A runner up finish May 11 in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) set the stage for his shot at the Belmont.
Preakness Stakes winner War of Will highlighted Casse’s duo coming into the race, but the veteran trainer had a feeling the distance would suit Sir Winston.
“I said to everybody all week long, I said, ‘If there’s a horse that’s going to go a mile and a half, it’s going to be Sir Winston,’” Casse said.
Sir Winston proved his trainer correct. The Kentucky-bred colt finally put it all together on the big stage at Big Sandy, earning $800,000 and an American Classic win for his connections.
After starting his career in obscurity, then failing to sniff a Kentucky Derby bid, Sir Winston is now a Belmont Stakes champion.
“This horse,” Casse said, “he’s an amazing little horse.”
For both, the Aug. 24 Travers (G1) at Saratoga could follow the July 27 Jim Dandy (G2) over the same track, Casse said.