Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Casse proud of Ride a Comet’s Tropical Turf win
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Mark Casse calls him “one of our greatest accomplishments in the past 40 years,” a strong compliment indeed from the Hall of Fame trainer when talking about Ride a Comet, who has returned from a 26-month layoff to win three straight starts, including Saturday’s Grade 3 Tropical Turf here.
Ride a Comet, 6, has overcome not one but two tendon injuries suffered after his victory in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby during the summer of his 3-year-old campaign. He came back last fall after being sidelined for more than two years, and won a pair of races over the synthetic surface at Woodbine before returning to the turf Saturday. Ride a Comet rallied to a half-length victory over the Grade 1-placed Casa Creed in the Tropical Turf and received a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He shipped to New York for a stakes after the Del Mar Derby and suffered a bowed tendon while just galloping,” Casse recalled. “We gave him a year off, he was doing really well, then hurt the same tendon again but in a different spot. So we gave him another year off. It was truly a team effort getting him back to the races again. I find it easier to bring horses back off long layoffs on the Tapeta, so I sent him to Woodbine and his two races up there were most impressive, although my plan, obviously, was always to get him back on the grass. My hopes and dreams with him are to win a Grade 1, and to do that we have to do it on turf, and Saturday’s race was just another step in that direction.”
The Tropical Turf performance was enough to earn Ride a Comet an invitation to the Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus Turf here Jan. 23. If he were to run in the Pegasus Turf, Ride a Comet would be stretching out from the mile of the Tropical Turf to 1 3/16 miles. But Casse said he probably won’t bring Ride a Comet back on short rest, and instead will run him next in the Kilroe Mile on March 6 at Santa Anita.
“You know me, normally I’m not averse to bringing a horse back in two weeks,” Casse said. “The added distance is not an issue, and I’m not afraid to run him against anybody. But given his history, I just don’t think it would be the best thing to do, so I’d say it’s highly unlikely he’ll run in the Pegasus. It all goes well, we’ll likely send him to the Kilroe Mile next.”
While Ride a Comet may not run here again this winter, Casse is planning to launch Got Stormy’s 2021 campaign in the Grade 3 Honey Fox on Feb. 27. Got Stormy has been freshening on Casse’s farm in Ocala, Fla., since finishing fifth against the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, closing out a year during which she won a pair of Grade 3 grass sprints and also was second in a pair of Grade 1 races, the Kilroe Mile and Fourstardave.
Last year, Got Stormy opened her season with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Endeavour at Tampa.
“She’ll show up at Palm Meadows shortly to start working on the turf,” Casse said. “One of the reasons she didn’t run better the first time out last year at Tampa was because I didn’t get to work her over the grass for the race. She loves working on turf, and since she’ll be at Palm Meadows, the Honey Fox makes the most sense for her first start back.”
Casse also will be in action in a pair of the Sunshine Stakes here Saturday, sending out Proven Strategies as one of the favorites in the Turf and Souper Stonehenge, second to Ride a Comet in the Grade 2 Kennedy Road at Woodbine, in the Sprint.
Safety No. 1 concern
Aidan Butler, chief operating officer for Gulfstream Park owner The Stronach Group, said last weekend that there are no plans to allow the general public to attend the races at Gulfstream Park during the Championship meeting.
“Right now, we’re trying to be mindful and respectful of what’s going on in the outside world regarding the coronavirus pandemic, and playing things day by day,” Butler said. “So, we have no immediate plans to open the track to the public. It’s a shame to leave these beautiful stadiums empty, but we’re going to err on the side of caution. I was very close to the situation at Golden Gate Fields, which has been down for two months and showed what can happen if things get out of hand. The most important goal at the moment is to keep racing going. As much as we want people back, we have to be mindful that we keep everyone safe.”
Butler did call Pegasus Day “a totally different situation,” with a limited number of tickets on sale for the card.
“Our priority is to accommodate the horsemen and licensed owners, the people who are needed to put the sport on, and there’s some outdoor space available to accomplish that goal while at the same time trying to be very careful about how we do it,” Butler said. “As for the public, we’re aiming to try to bring some people in, although we’re not actively trying to sell [tickets]. We’re still monitoring the local situation. We should know more as the days go on.”
Pletcher, Ortiz going good
Leading trainer Todd Pletcher and two-time defending jockey champion Irad Ortiz Jr. closed out the week on a high note, with Pletcher posting three victories on Sunday’s card and Ortiz doing him one better with a four-bagger that culminated with a score aboard odds-on Mischevious Alex in the $52,000 allowance feature.
Mischevious Alex was making his first start Sunday since finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens on Aug. 1 at Saratoga and first since being transferred to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s barn during the fall.