Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Casse sends out speedy pair of A Thread of Blue, Chuck Willis
While Mark Casse is focusing on his two Kentucky Derby candidates Soup and Sandwich and Helium, both training at Churchill Downs, he’ll have ample reason to look toward Gulfstream Park late Thursday afternoon. Casse sends out key contenders A Thread of Blue and Chuck Willis in the second and best of two allowance events on the nine-race card.
Eight will go about 7 1/2 furlongs on turf in the $48,000 headliner as racing resumes Thursday following the regular three-day hiatus. Leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. also will send out a couple of top candidates in the feature offering, the recently claimed Morocco and High Noon Rider.
A Thread of Blue won the Grade 3 Palm Beach and the Dania Beach here along with the Saratoga Derby when trained by Kiaran McLaughlin at 3 in 2019. He has started just twice since McLaughlin retired to become agent for jockey Luis Saez last spring, with the most recent outing coming for Casse and resulting in a seventh-place finish in an overnight handicap last month at Tampa Bay Downs.
Speed is A Thread of Blue’s best weapon, a trait also possessed by his stablemate Chuck Willis, who figures to be forwardly placed returning fresh from a 9 1/2-month hiatus and stretching out around two turns for just the second time in his career. The Irish-bred Chuck Willis won both his starts last year. Both were allowance races over the artificial surface at Woodbine. He has worked forwardly for his local debut, primarily over the grass at Palm Meadows.
Morocco makes his first start since being claimed by Joseph for $50,000 out of a thirdplace finish going a mile over a good turf course on March 11 at Gulfstream. The loss snapped a two-race win streak for Morocco, who rarely turns in a poor showing over the local course. High Noon Rider, winner of the Claiming Crown Emerald during opening week of the Gulfstream Park championship meet, would benefit from an honest pace, as he always does his best running from near the rear of the field.
Louder Than Bombs, third in the Grade 3 Canadian at Gulfstream a year ago but whose form tailed off during the end of his 2020 campaign, makes his seasonal debut. The field also includes the recently claimed Blameless, graded stakes-tested Forever Mo, and Glory of Florida, who will make a rare appearance on turf if he starts.
Lake Lio sizzles in debut
Lake Lio won the first 2-year-old race of the local season in very impressive fashion Friday, leading throughout to register a 3 1/2-length victory for trainer Jena Antonucci.
“He’s my little rocket ship,” Antonucci said. “I loved having the one hole. We knew he was quick out of the gate. This one is a little special for us because I own his granddam and the dam. We were going to sell him as a yearling, but he was a first foal and didn’t keep growing. We started training him at the farm and all of a sudden we were like, ‘This is an interesting horse.’ He’s pretty quick. So we kept him and just stayed patient.”
A homebred son of Ride On Curlin, Lake Lio is eligible to the Florida Sire Stakes later in the year.
Antonacci gets first win
Philip Antonacci registered the first victory of his training career Saturday, sending out Advanced Strategy to capture a one-mile allowance race on the turf. Advanced Strategy is owned by his father Frank’s Lindy Farms, which is best known in the Standardbred community for having been the owner or breeder of five Hambletonian winners.
The younger Antonacci, 26, is stabled at Payson Park with 15 horses. He is teaming up with retired Harness Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter, who has ventured into the Thoroughbred world to assist Antonacci. Advanced Strategy was the team’s fifth starter.
“He’s like the D. Wayne Lukas of Standardbred racing,” Antonacci said. “He retired three years ago. He always had an interest in Thoroughbreds, so when I decided to go on my own, he said he’d like to come along and help and assist. We can put our minds together and come up with our own training plan. He’s been at the barn quite a bit. It’s been a great team effort.”