Del Mar, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Champion trainer Mark Casse is spending the
latter part of 2014 in Southern California with a large number of horses
stabled at Del Mar for the track’s inaugural Bing Crosby Season.
Most prominent is Queen’s Plate winner Lexie Lou. The 3-year-old filly, who
also won the Woodbine Oaks, is probable to start in a stakes race while at Del
Mar.
“She’ll run in the Matriarch (one mile on the turf, Nov. 30) or we may run
her against the boys in the Hollywood Derby (1 1/8 miles on turf, Nov, 29),”
Casse said.
Lexie Lou, owned by Gary Barber, won the 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate by 1 1/2
lengths as the 3-1 second pick. The filly followed by winning the Wonder Where
Stakes at Woodbine five weeks later on Aug. 10. After finishing 10th in the
Canadian Stakes on grass, Lexie Lou won the Autumn Miss Stakes on Oct. 25.
The 3-year-old has banked $1,059,470 this year with four wins from seven
starts.
Casse, a six-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s top trainer, started four
horses in last week’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. Two finished fourth,
Conquest Eclipse (Juvenile Fillies) and Conquest Typhoon (Juvenile Turf), with
Kaigan 10th in the Mile and Conquest Harlanate 11th in the Juvenile Fillies
Turf.
“The Breeders’ Cup has been hard on me,” Casse said. “Going in we didn’t know
what Conquest Typhoon would do and he actually ran well, finishing fourth
beaten three lengths and he ran way farther than anyone else.
“The disappointment was Conquest Eclipse. (Conquest Eclipse) broke just a tad
slow and they slammed her left and right. Especially early on Breeders’ Cup
Day you couldn’t make up ground hardly at all so she was up against it. We’ve
licked our wounds and we’re here to see what we can do.”
Casse will rest Conquest Eclipse, but plans on having the other three
Breeders’ Cup starters race at Del Mar.
