PIMLICO World Approval seeks repeat

BALTIMORE – World Approval, the 2017 champion male turf horse and winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, won the Grade 2 Dixie a year ago over a Pimlico turf course labeled “good.” On Saturday, he will shoot for a repeat victory in the 1 1/16-mile turf race over what figures to be soggier footing.

Pimlico received more than two inches of precipitation Tuesday evening, and it was raining steadily Thursday morning. More than two inches of rain is possible Friday, according to AccuWeather, with rain and drizzle possible Saturday morning.

Trainer Mark Casse isn’t overly concerned about World Approval handling soft ground, he just wants to make sure the course “isn’t a bog” and is safe.

“He handles soft turf very well,” Casse said. “In the Fourstardave, the course was pretty wet. As I recall, it was for the Dixie last year, too.”

Trainer Kelly Rubley echoed Casse’s comments regarding Divisidero, a two-time winner of the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs. Divisidero will be making his first start since October and his first since being transferred from Buff Bradley to Rubley by the Gunpowder Farms of Tom Keithley.

“From a safety perspective, I don’t want to see a saturated course,” she said. “I think he’ll handle the conditions. The course was pretty darn wet when he won the Turf Classic last year.”

World Approval will be attempting to bounce back from an uncharacteristically flat effort in the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile, in which he finished fifth, beaten 3 3/4 lengths. Casse believes a “combination of factors” may have affected his performance.

It is possible World Approval’s comeback victory in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes took more out of him than believed, according to Casse. World Approval also was sandwiched between horses at the start and dropped back farther than usual under Flavien Prat, subbing for John Velazquez, who was at Tampa Bay Downs that day to ride Vino Rosso.

“Flavien doesn’t know him as well as Johnny, and if you don’t get after him, he’ll just sit back and then go around, and that’s kind of what he did,” Casse said. “One of his strengths is that he can be close to the pace.”

World Approval “has trained very well” since the March 10 Kilroe, according to Casse.

“I think you’ll see his ‘A’ game Saturday,” he said.

There isn’t much pace in the eight-horse Dixie lineup, and World Approval should be close to, or possibly even on, the lead.

Rubley and Keithley considered going for a three-peat in the Turf Classic with Divisidero on Derby Day, but ultimately skipped that race with the 6-year-old.

“I feel a little better from a fitness perspective that we have a few more works in him,” Rubley said. “He looks wonderful. We are looking forward to seeing what we have this season.”

Late-running Divisidero must be careful not to drop too far off the pace Saturday. Jevian Toledo, the leading rider in Maryland by wins in 2015 and 2017, has the mount.

Frostmourne exits a fifthplace finish in the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile at Keeneland. The winner, Heart to Heart, controlled the pace, going six furlongs in a comfortable 1:11.77 and then coming home in 22.94 seconds en route to a final clocking of 1:34.71.

The quick closing splits seemed to take the punch out of Heart to Heart’s closest pursuers, including Frostmourne, who was beaten 2 1/4 lengths. Frostmourne, who is trained by Christophe Clement, is 2 for 3 over less-than-firm courses.

Fire Away has won two of his last three races, including the Danger’s Hour in April and the Artie Schiller last fall at Aqueduct. In March, he finished third, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by World Approval, in Tampa Bay Stakes.

Just Howard, the Marylandbred Horse of the Year in 2017, will make his 4-year-old debut for Graham Motion.