Team Casse has another talented turf filly on its hands.
While champion Tepin is the barn’s undisputed queen and Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse commands her own respect, John Oxley’s 2-year-old La Coronel showed she’s worthy to tread in their hoof prints with a powerful 4 1/4-length victory on Oct. 12 in the $150,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes.
The Colonel John filly also punched her ticket to the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) under jockey Florent Geroux as part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” program.
Team Casse has another talented turf filly on its hands.
While champion Tepin is the barn’s undisputed queen and Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse commands her own respect, John Oxley’s 2-year-old La Coronel showed she’s worthy to tread in their hoof prints with a powerful 4 1/4-length victory on Oct. 12 in the $150,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes.
The Colonel John filly also punched her ticket to the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) under jockey Florent Geroux as part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” program.
“Oh yeah, I think we’re in,” winning trainer Mark Casse said. “My son Norman has done a good job with this filly. She’s kind of excitable and he got her ready for this today. When she broke her maiden up at Saratoga [on Sept. 5], Florent came back and said, ‘I think we have another Catch a Glimpse.’ ”
Sent off as the 9-5 favorite in a field of 12, La Coronel tracked from fourth along the inside in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 2-year-old fillies as Kentucky Juvenile Fillies Stakes winner Lull pressed the pace set by longshot Divine Humor. After posting early quarter-mile fractions of :22.89 and :47.37, Divine Humor backed up suddenly on the far turn and Lull took over to run three-quarters in 1:13.57 into the stretch. But La Coronel was driving hard and put her away through a mile in 1:37.35, then increased her margin to soar clear under the line.
“When you ride good horses, they make it easier for you,” Geroux said. “We had a good trip; she put me exactly where we needed to be. When I asked her down the lane, she just exploded. Very nice turn of foot, and that was it. When I pushed the gas, it was just a matter of how far she was going to win by.”
The final time was 1:43.37 on a firm course.
La Coronel was the fifth stakes-winning juvenile for Casse in the past five days, joining Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity winner Classic Empire, Grade 3 Grey Stakes winner Golden Hawk, Grade 3 Dixiana Bourbon Stakes winner Keep Quiet and Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes winner Gale Force.
The winner returned $5.80, $4.20, and $3, while Lull paid $5.40 and $4.80. Rum Go brought $17.40 to complete the trifecta.—Claire Novak