Confident Casse expects Wonder Wheel to rebound in Ashland
She has had her dress rehearsal and now trainer Mark Casse has champion Wonder Wheel ready to roll Friday when she takes on six rivals in the Grade 1, $600,000 Ashland on the opening day of Keeneland's 15-day spring meet.
Wonder Wheel, who is owned by D.J. Stable, finished second in the listed Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in her season debut on Feb. 11.
“It was either run in the Suncoast (at a mile and 40 yards) and maybe be a little short or wait for the Davona Dale (G2),” Casse said. “I didn’t want to cut back to a (one-turn) mile so she ran in the Suncoast and was maybe 85 to 90 percent fit. She had a wide trip, and she ran out of gas a little bit at the end.”
Wonder Wheel was purchased at Keeneland’s 2021 September Yearling Sale for $275,000.
“She was on our short list, and she reminded me of Make Mischief, a filly (who earned more than $750,000) we did well with,” Casse said. “She was long-legged like Make Mischief. She’s 17 hands and (many of the sons and daughters of Into Mischief) don’t have that height.
“We broke her in Ocala, and she showed she was a cut above early on.”
Wonder Wheel is perfect in two Keeneland starts with victories last fall in the Alcibiades (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
“In the Alcibiades we didn’t have the best horse, but we had the best trip,” Casse said of Wonder Wheel’s nose victory. “She improved off that in the Breeders’ Cup and I see a similar scenario where she will give her best effort in the Ashland. I expect her to win.”
In addition to Wonder Wheel, Casse will have runners in Friday’s two other stakes: D. J. Stable’s Webslinger in the 35th running of the $400,000 Transylvania (G3) and John Oxley’s Determinedly in the 75th running of the $400,000 Lafayette.
“Webslinger had a tough trip in the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile Turf),” Casse said of the race in which Webslinger finished 11th but was beaten only four lengths. “He was wide and with a little better trip, he would have been right there.”
Webslinger has a win and a second in two starts this year with the most recent start being a runner-up finish in the listed Colonial Liam Stakes behind Transylvania rival Dude N Colorado.
Determinedly cuts back to a sprint in the seven-furlong Lafayette after running long this winter at Fair Grounds. “We are trying to find the right niche for him,” Casse said of Determinedly, who also raced on turf as a 2-year-old.
On Saturday, Casse will try to complete a possible Ashland-Blue Grass (G1) double when he sends out Gary Barber’s Classic Car Wash.
“After he won his second start (by 8 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park), I told Gary that we can have a lot of fun with this horse because he overcame a lot that day,” Casse said. “He ran good in the Sam F. Davis (G3) (finishing third) and ran a big race in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) (finishing second to Blue Grass favorite Tapit Trice).”
Also Saturday, Casse will saddle Papilio for D. J. Stable and Medallion Racing in the 35th running of the $400,000 Appalachian (G2) going a mile on the turf.
“She’s a pretty good horse,” Casse said of Papilio, who joined his barn the first of the year after racing in Ireland as a 2-year-old.
Papilio came off a six-month layoff to finish second in her U.S. debut on March 4 in the Herecomesthebride (G3) at Gulfstream.
“I expected her to run a good race, and she did not disappoint in her first race going two turns,” Casse said.