By Tim Wilkin
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–The baby train continues to chug along for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse at Saratoga Race Course this summer.
The latest stop came Sunday and 2-year-old filly La Cara (Street Sense) hopped on board as she pulverized the field in the eighth race maiden special weight. Ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., La Cara went to the lead at the start of the seven-furlong race and stayed there.
She won by eight lengths, and it could have been more as Santana Jr. brought her home with a hand ride.
“That was impressive,” Casse said by phone.
Casse watched this race from home with his wife, Tina. Nothing against the Spa, but he had horses running all over the country–including the big card at Colonial Downs–and decided it would be easier to keep track of them from the comfort of his couch.
“I have my TV going, my laptop and my iPad … we are going all over the place,” Casse said. I am in air traffic control.”
Casse was going to be back at the track to saddle Strong Quality (Quality Road) in the GI Fourstardave Handicap (he finished fourth). Before that, though he was more than happy to talk about his most recent Saratoga success with the juveniles.
La Cara became the sixth horse to win a baby race for Casse, who has 10 winners overall, at this meet. For the year, Casse has started 123 2-year-olds and has 25 wins, 13 seconds and 20 thirds.
“We came up with this plan, and we had a lot of people who believed in us,” Casse said. “We went out and got the best bunch of yearlings we have ever got. I said we were going to be ready like never before … when a plan comes together, it's nice.”
Mark Casse | Sarah Andrew
La Cara is owned and bred by long-time Casse client Tracy Farmer. Casse also trained the dam, Casa Caterina and said this is her first foal. Casa Caterina is a full sister to To Honor and Serve, a multiple graded stakes winner.
However, Casse said, Casa Caterina could not run at all.
“I could outrun her,” he said.
Fortunately, for Casse, La Cara did not inherit the slow genes of her mother.
“She is a beautiful homebred,” Casse said. “As impressive as she was running, she is just as impressive to look at.”
La Cara was making her fourth career start Sunday. The experience, Casse said, worked to her advantage. The only other filly to run before this race was 18-1 Going Steady (Constitution) and she finished second for Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. But she was no match for La Cara.
La Cara, the 9-2 third choice, carved out fractions of 22.45, 45.44 and 1:10.43 before coming home in 1:23.58. She paid $11.20.
Casse said he expected good things from La Cara when he had her on his farm in Ocala, Fla. over the winter. After two starts at Churchill Downs (a sixth on a sloppy track and a second on a fast one) he sent La Cara to Saratoga.
However, he did not bring her up early, like he did with many of his young horses. Because the Belmont Stakes Festival was held at Saratoga, Casse left a string of horses here after that four-day meet ended in early June.
La Cara showed up in time to run on the third day of the meet and she bombed as the even-money favorite, beaten six lengths while finishing fourth.
“I was pretty mad at myself for running her because this is a good filly,” Casse said. “Sometimes, when you have too much confidence, you run a horse and that is what happens.”
In hindsight, he would have gotten her better acclimated to Saratoga. After that race, she had two good works and Casse expected her to run better. She sure did.
6th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 8-11, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:23.58, ft, 8 lengths.
LA CARA (f, 2, Street Sense–Cara Caterina, by Bernardini) may have been inconvenienced by a wet track when sixth on Churchill debut May 17, but was forgiven for the effort and was a much-improved second over fast dirt June 21. A disappointing fourth on her first local run July 14, the homebred was sent off at 23-5 to make amends and soon led from her low draw beneath Jose Ortiz. By the half-mile on her lonesome in :45.44, she continued to build a big lead approaching the eighth pole and had eight lengths on Going Steady (Constitution), the only other member of the eight-strong field with previous racetrack experience. The winner's dam is a daughter of Pilfer (Deputy Minister), making her a full-sister to MGISW To Honor and Serve and GISW Angela Renee and a half to SW & GISP Elnaawi (Street Sense). Pilfer is in turn a half-sister to GSW India (Hennessy), the dam of Japanese dual Group 1 winner Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) and the stakes-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Kareena (Medaglia d'Oro). La Cara hails from the same family as a Gun Runner colt out of Secret Sigh (Tapit) that sold to Coolmore and Peter Brant for $1.9 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale earlier this week. Bred on the same cross that resulted in GISWs Maxfield and Speaker's Corner and other graded winners like Shared Sense, La Cara has a yearling full-brother. Lifetime Record: 4-1-1-0, $86,575. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O/B-Tracy Farmer (KY); T-Mark E Casse.
LA CARA, daughter of @DarleyAmerica stallion Street Sense, breaks her maiden impressively in the sixth race with @RSantana_Jr up for trainer @markecasse. pic.twitter.com/uZah5GY8Lj
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) August 11, 2024
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
