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Glider ready to take flight in G3 Gotham; Update on Casse's Derby contenders

by NYRA Press Office

• Glider ready to take flight in G3 Gotham; Update on Casse's Derby contenders
• Venti Valentine looks to give connections second victory in $250K Busher Invitational
• Franklin Square winner Sterling Silver works in prep for $250K Busher
• Aqueduct Racetrack Week 12 stakes probables

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said D.J. Stable's Glider will make his next start on March 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack in the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile for sophomores offering 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

By Quality Road and out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Yellow Boat, the $200,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is a half-brother to the multiple graded stakes winning turf sprinter Fast Boat.

Glider graduated at second asking in a one mile and 70 yard off-the-turf maiden special weight on January 6 at Gulfstream Park and followed with a runner-up effort to the well-regarded Todd Pletcher-trainee Emmanuel in a one mile and 40 yard optional-claimer on January 30 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“I thought his last race was pretty good on dirt. I think the mile should suit him nice,” Casse said. “I'm still trying to figure out exactly what he wants. His last race was pretty good. There wasn't much pace in the race and I think Todd thinks a lot of his horse. We thought the Gotham would be a good spot.”

Glider has worked steadily at Palm Meadows, including a five-eighths breeze in 1:00.30 on February 19.

“He's trained better coming out of the race than he went into it,” Casse said.

Antonio Gallardo will retain the mount aboard Glider.

Rustlewood Farm's homebred Pappacap is in good order following his off-the-board effort in last Saturday's Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds.

Casse said the Gun Runner colt, who is currently in fourth place [14 points] in the Kentucky Derby points standings, will target the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 2 at Gulfstream Park.

“I'm still baffled by his poor performance. He's never done that before. He's going to come to Ocala to the training center and see how things go. We're looking at possibly coming back in the Florida Derby,” Casse said. “If he had ran and got beat two or three lengths, you’d say maybe he just wasn't good enough but he just didn't show up at all. Tyler [Gaffalione] had him in a great spot and when he asked him to go, he never went.”

Casse sent out a trio of Derby hopefuls in the Sam F. Davis on February 12 at Tampa, including Volcanic [3rd], God of Love [5th] and Golden Glider [6th].

Casse said Breeze Easy’s Volcanic, a Violence chestnut, will point to either the Grade 1 Blue Grass on April 9 at Keeneland or the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial on the same day at the Big A. Both races offer 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

“Volcanic ran a great race. He had a wide trip on both turns in his first time going two turns,” Casse said. “Right now, I'm looking at the Blue Grass for him or possibly the Wood Memorial. We're looking at both spots.

“I'll come back in the Tampa Bay Derby [March 12] with Golden Glider - he ran well and got bothered a little bit late by Volcanic,” Casse added. “God of Love will run in the Jeff Ruby [April 2] at Turfway.”

D.J. Stable and Chester and Mary Broman's New York-bred Coinage worked a bullet half-mile in 47.80 over the Palm Meadows Training Center turf on February 18 in his first breeze back out of a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Kitten's Joy on February 5 at Gulfstream.

The 3-year-old Bromans-bred son of Tapit, out of the Grade 1-winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Bar of Gold, won the Grade 3 With Anticipation in September over the Saratoga turf.

Casse said Coinage, who is stakes-placed on dirt, will now target the $125,000 Palm Beach, a one-mile turf test for sophomores on March 5 at Gulfstream.

“Coinage will run in the turf stakes next week at Gulfstream. We're going to keep him on the grass for now,” Casse said.

Gary Barber's multiple graded stakes placed New York-bred Make Mischiefworked a half-mile in 48.40 over the Casse Training Center dirt on February 22.

It was the second work back for the 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, who was last seen finishing third in the Empire Distaff in October at Belmont.

“We gave Make Mischief a little break and she's training exceptionally well. I haven't thought about a spot just yet for her, but I would think it would be in New York,” Casse said.

Make Mischief posted a record of 10-3-1-3 last year, including a win in the restricted Maddie May at Aqueduct and graded placings in the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont and Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs.

Casse said the time off was by design after a lengthy campaign.

“I like giving my 3-year-olds a break when it gets towards the latter part of the year and they have to run against older horses,” Casse said. “It worked good with Tepin, Got Stormy and World Approval. I've done it with a lot of horses and at some point they have to have a break.”

Casse said Gary Barber and Kinsman Stable's Strong Quality, a maiden winner on February 19 at the Fair Grounds at second asking will look to run through his conditions.

“We like that horse a lot but we're going to take it slower with him. He'll come back in a '1X',” Casse said.

A 3-year-old Quality Road colt, out of the Tiznow mare Tiz So Sweet, Strong Quality was purchased for $500,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale. He finished third on debut on January 23 at Fair Grounds to the Brad Cox-trained Zozos, who came back to win an optional-claimer by 10 1/4-lengths on February 11 at Oaklawn.

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Venti Valentine looks to give connections second victory in $250K Busher Invitational

NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Parkland Thoroughbreds’ Venti Valentinewill make her 3-year-old debut and attempt to give her connections a second triumph in the $250,000 Busher Invitational on March 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

The one-turn mile Busher Invitational is a 50-20-10-5 qualifier for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks on May 6 at Churchill Downs. 

Venti Valentine, trained by Jorge Abreu, is a half-sister to fellow New York-bred 2019 Busher victress Espresso Shot, who captured at least one stakes victory from 2018-21 for the same connections. Both are out of the New York-bred Medaglia d’Oro mare Glory Gold, who was acquired by NY Final Furlong at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale for $13,000. 

The daughter of Firing Line was a narrowly-beaten second in the nine-furlong, Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 4 at Aqueduct. Venti Valentine battled gamely in between horses in the stretch drive of the Demoiselle, despite being bothered by Magic Circle to her inside, finishing a neck shy of victory to late-closing Nest. 

The Demoiselle was Venti Valentine’s lone defeat in three starts. Following a late-closing triumphant debut going six furlongs in September at Belmont Park, Venti Valentine conquered her New York-bred counterparts once more in the one-turn mile Maid of the Mist five weeks later at Belmont. 

“It became evident that she would handle two turns,” said Dan Zanatta, who manages NY Final Furlong Racing Stable alongside Vince Roth. “As soon as she finished the Demoiselle, we gave her a break at Palm Meadows in Florida for about three to four weeks and she’s been back in full training since. She’s working extremely well. She shipped up to Belmont earlier this week and she’ll breeze once more on Saturday.”

Should Venti Valentine mimic her game Demoiselle effort, Zanatta said the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle on April 9 [100-40-20-10] would be in the works, followed by the Kentucky Oaks, “if she brings us there.”

“I would say a lot of people are talking about two horses in the New York division – Nest and Magic Circle,” Zanatta added. “We already beat Magic Circle and we were within a neck of beating Nest. I think we’re right there with those two.”

Venti Valentine is following a similar trajectory that was in mind for Espresso Shot during her sophomore campaign. After her Busher victory, Espresso Shot was fifth in the Gazelle, but Zanatta expressed hope that her younger sister can reach a higher level of prosperity. 

“She’s bigger and stronger and I think we’re all making the case that she’s a better horse than Espresso Shot was, so we’re hoping we have some runway with her,” Zanatta said. “She definitely handles two turns more than Espresso Shot did.”

Venti Valentine was campaigned differently than Espresso Shot during her 2-year-old year, with the latter trying graded stakes company on grass in the Grade 3 Jessamine at Keeneland in 2018. 

“We learned a little from our experience with Espresso Shot. We thought initially she would appreciate turf, which is why we tried the Jessamine with her, but grass and two turns weren’t her ideal appetite,” Zanatta said. “In hindsight, if we would have gone to the Maid of the Mist off her maiden win like we did with Venti Valentine, she would have had a more successful 2-year-old run. With Venti Valentine, we were a little smarter with placement, and we managed her more toward long term goals rather than short term goals.”

Zanatta added that dual stakes-placed three-time winner Summer Brew, unraced since October, is receiving some downtime at RiceHorse Stables in Ocala. 

“She’s been there since November, so she’s already had four months off,” Zanatta said. “She’s scheduled to start back in training March 1 and will come back to New York at some point in May.”

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Franklin Square winner Sterling Silver works in prep for $250K Busher

Mark T. Anderson’s Franklin Square winner Sterling Silver has been working steadily towards a start in the one-mile $250,000 Busher Invitational on March 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack, which awards 50-20-10-5 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Oaks to the top-four finishers. 

Trained by Tom Albertrani, Sterling Silver has had a series of works over the training track at Belmont Park since her Franklin Square score on January 22 at the Big A. She most recently breezed five-eighths in 1:02.10 on Thursday morning, the second-fastest drill for the distance that day. 

“She’s doing super and worked well this morning,” said Albertrani. “She has really moved forward off her last two races.” 

By Cupid and out of the unraced Distorted Humor mare Sheet Humor, the New York-bred filly remained perfect through two career starts when she won the 6 1/2-furlong Franklin Square by 2 1/4 lengths in her stakes debut against fellow state-breds.

Rated from off the pace by Trevor McCarthy, Sterling Silver closed well through the stretch to take the lead from pacesetter Sandy’s Garden at the sixteenth pole and draw away to her first stakes victory. The effort came on the heels of a debut maiden special weight two months prior where she won by a nose going six furlongs. 

Albertrani said that he expects Sterling Silver to make a good showing of herself as she faces open company for the first time. 

“We are probably making a big step up, but we’re optimistic she’ll run well in the open company,” Albertrani said. “It’s something where we’ll try and see where that will lead us later.” 

Along with the change in condition, Sterling Silver will also try stretching out beyond sprinting distance for the first time in her young career. 

Albertrani said he is confident the grey’s breeding will allow her to stretch out easily. 

“I don’t see where stretching her out will be an issue for her, especially with her pedigree,” Albertrani said. “She should love going a bit further, so we’ll find out.” 

Sterling Silver is the first stakes winner Albertrani has conditioned for Anderson, who also campaigned the Giant’s Causeway mare Beau Belle to a third in the 2020 Grade 2 Glens Falls at Saratoga Race Course with Albertrani. 

“Mark is great. We were lucky to have Beau Belle, who was the first horse we got from him when I started training for him a couple years ago,” said Albertrani. “We’ve been pretty happy with the runners we have.” 

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Aqueduct Racetrack Week 12 stakes probables

Saturday, March 5

$300K Grade 3 Gotham [50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifier]

Probable: Dean’s List (Todd Pletcher), Fromanothamutha (Ray Handal), Glider (Mark Casse), Golden Code (Todd Pletcher), Morello (Steve Asmussen), Noneedtoworry (Herold Whylie)

Possible: Bold Journey (Bill Mott) 

$250K Busher Invitational [50-20-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifier]

Probable: Champagne Poetry (Chad Summers), Classy Edition (Todd Pletcher), Magic Circle (Rudy Rodriguez), Radio Days (Shug McGaughey), Shotgun Hottie (William Morey), Sterling Silver (Tom Albertrani), Venti Valentine (Jorge Abreu)

Possible: Diamond Collector (Carlos Martin), Nostalgic (Bill Mott) 

$125K Heavenly Prize Invitational

Probable: Battle Bling (Rob Atras), Truth Hurts (Chad Summers)

Possible: Finding Fame (Michael Trombetta), Obligatory (Bill Mott), Search Results (Chad Brown) 

$200K Grade 3 Tom Fool

Probable: Chateau (Rob Atras), Prime Factor (Cherie DeVaux)

Possible: Happy Medium (Michelle Nevin), Ny Traffic (Saffie Joseph, Jr.), Officiating (Saffie Joseph, Jr.)

Sunday, March 6 

$100K Biogio’s Rose (NYB)

Probable: Bank Sting (John Terranova), Love and Love (Michael Miceli), Maiden Beauty (Robert Falcone, Jr.), Sharp Starr (Horacio De Paz)