Mark Casse | Horse Racing Free Tips

Francis Vanlangendonck Named Chairman of OBS

Francis Vanlangendonck of Summerfield Sales has been elected chairman of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company (OBS) board, succeeding Mike O'Farrell, who had been in the position since 2007. The fifth chairman in OBS history, Vanlangendonck has been on the board since 1990. He previously served as secretary/treasurer and was vice president under O'Farrell from 2007-2021.

“I am honored by the trust and confidence the board has shown by voting me OBS chairman,” said Vanlangendonck. “I certainly have a big pair of shoes to fill following Mike O'Farrell. His integrity and foresight has put OBS into an extremely solid position, both financially and within the Thoroughbred Industry.”

Vanlangendonck's Summerfield Sales, which he operates with his wife, Barbara, is annually among the leading consignors at OBS yearling and mixed sales. In 2021, Summerfield ranked 15th nationally with yearling sales of nearly $9 million. Their full-service farm includes a swimming pond for rehabilitation and facilities to prep yearlings.

O'Farrell spent nearly 40 years as an OBS board member. He tenure as chairman followed George Onett, Harry T. Mangurian, Jr., and Norman Casse. The O'Farrell family's Ocala Stud has been a leader in Ocala since 1956. O'Farrell's father, Joe, was one of the founding members of OBS in 1974 and served as the organization's first vice president.

In additional board changes, Dr. Barry Eisaman, whose Eisaman Equine is a leader at the OBS 2-year-old sales, was elected vice president. He had served as secretary/treasurer of OBS since 2010 and was first elected to the OBS board in 1996. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse was elected secretary/treasurer. Casse, whose operation is based in Ocala, has been on the OBS board since 2001. His father, Norman, was a founding member of OBS and chairman of the board for more than 20 years.

Joining the OBS board for the first time are David O'Farrell of Ocala Stud and Paul Sharp of Paul Sharp Stables. The rest of the board includes Tom Ventura, President; Carl Bowling; Nick de Meric, de Meric Sales; Jimbo Gladwell, Top Line Sales; Jesse Hoppel, Coastal Equine; John Penn, Pennston Farm; Bryan Rice, Woodside Ranch; and Eddie Woods.

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Pegasus Draw: ‘Knicks’ Gets Rail, ‘Good’ in Post 4

HALLANDALE, FL–During Tuesday's Pegasus World Cup Invitational post-position draw in the Sport of Kings Theatre at Gulfstream Park Tuesday, the stage was set for what is shaping up to be another intriguing renewal of Pegasus World Cup Invitational, including the PWC Turf and the newest addition to the World Cup series, the Filly and Mare Turf Invitational, which replaces the GIII Marshua's River S. Heading Saturday's Pegasus card is the nine-furlong main-track test for older horses, led by defending champion Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter) and WinStar Farm and CHC LLC's Life Is Good (Into Mischief).

The winner of last fall's GI Breeders' Cup Classic drew the rail, while GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile scorer drew the more palatable position in the gate and will exit post 4.

“We're not really going to deviate from what we've done in the past,” said trainer Brad Cox of Knicks Go. “[Life Is Good] is a very fast, brilliant horse. We're not going to let him have his own way, and I think he's probably not going to let us have our own way. We're going to break running, hopefully, get to the lead. We're going to be very aggressive to get him there.”

Regular rider Joel Rosario is set to ride the 6-5 morning line favorite in his final race before retiring to Taylor Made Stallions.

He added, “It's the same approach we took in the Breeders' Cup. We'll see how it goes. He's proven at a mile and an eighth and he does like the surface there. He likes the configuration of the racetrack there at Gulfstream–he proved that last year. We're just going to come out of there running and see what happens.”

Pletcher confirmed soon after the draw that he was pleased with Life Is Good's position in the gate. Reunited with Irad Ortiz Jr., the bay was installed the second choice on the morning line at 7-5.

“You've got two super talented horses with similar running styles, so it makes for a very exciting race,” said Pletcher. “It's going to be very exciting to see how the pace unfolds. Speed is our horse's weapon and we're not looking to take it away from him, and I'm sure the Knicks Go team knows what works for their horse. We'll just see how it plays out.”

Also in the field is 2019 GI Belmont S. winner Sir Winston (Awesome Again), victorious in the GIII Valedictory S. at Woodbine Dec. 3. The Tracy Farmer-owned 6-year-old drew post 6 and will be accompanied by Edwin Gonzalez. He is 12-1 on the morning line.

“He needs a lot of things to go his way,” said trainer Mark Casse. “He's feeling really well, and we believe he deserves a chance.”

It's All About the Turf..

As is the case in the day's big race, the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational also features a returning Pegasus champion. Hoping to defend his Turf title is Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map), who will be breaking from post 6 after being installed the 3-1 early choice. The dual Grade I winner hasn't been seen since finishing eighth in the GI Manhattan S. last June. Prior to that effort, the grey won the GI Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in May.

“I think over the years we've done pretty well in layoff situations, so I think it was important that we got the works into him that we did and we were fortunate enough that everything went according to the way we mapped it out,” explained Pletcher. “So, I feel good about that. You never know if they're going to be quite as sharp off a layoff, but he's certainly trained well enough and has run well fresh before. Hopefully, we can get the same type of effort. He's given us every indication that he's come up to it as good as ever.”

The 5-year-old will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Pletcher is also represented by Repole Stable's Never Surprised (Constitution), who drew less favorably than his barn mate in post 12. Scheduled to be ridden by Luis Saez, he is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line.

“That's not really an ideal post for him,” Pletcher admitted.

The 4-year-old won his last two stakes starts over a mile and a sixteenth, including the most recent in the Tropical Park Derby Dec. 26.

Aiming for another PWC Turf title, trainer Mike Maker returns heavily armed this year with a quartet of Turf contenders: Atone (Into Mischief) (post 2), Flavius (War Front) (post 3), Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) (post 9) and Cross Border (English Channel) (post 11). Maker won the 2020 Pegasus Turf with Zulu Alpha before finishing third last year with Cross Border.

New to the series this year, the GI Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational offers up a competitive group, including a pair of top-shelf winners–GI Natalma S. heroine Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), who exits post 3 (8-1) and early 2-1 favorite Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who will break from the 4 hole. Trained by Chad Brown on behalf of Peter Brant, the latter broke through at the highest level in her latest start in the GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar Nov. 28.

Also in the fray is Sweet Melania (American Pharoah), victorious in Gulfstream's GIII Suwanee River S. in her latest start. From the same connections as Pegasus World Cup contender Life Is Good, the chestnut, who is 5-1 on the morning line, drew the rail and will be accompanied by Luis Saez.

Representing long-time Fort Lauderdale resident Chris Pallas is Shifty She (Gone Astray), who was second most recently in the Suwanee River. The Florida-bred won three of four starts as a 3-year-old in 2019 before going to the sidelines with a tendon injury. Since her return in April with new trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., she won three of seven starts, including Belmont's GIII Noble Damsel S. Oct. 23. Listed at 6-1 on the morning line, she breaks from post 9.

“I was numb for three days after [the Noble Damsel],” said Pallas. “It was amazing. She had two really sharp works [at Gulfstream] and when you're an owner and you can come and watch the workouts, you learn a lot more about your horse than at a race. I knew she was ready to run..She ran them off their feet. She just did her thing.”

Trainer Michael McCarthy will saddle Nicest (Ire) (American Pharoah), who exits post 7 under Tyler Gaffalione. Listed as 6-1 on the morning line, she was third behind the ill-fated Snowfall in the G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks and G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot before arriving stateside. In her most recent start, she was second in the off-the-turf GI American Oaks at Santa Anita Dec. 26.

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‘I Think He’s An Overachiever’: Casse Confident In Sir Winston Ahead Of Pegasus World Cup

Fans of Woodbine racing have a horse to cheer for in the Pegasus World Cup.

Sir Winston, who has contested seven of his 19 career starts at Woodbine, is set to square off against a star-stacked field, including last year's winner Knicks Go, in the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

“Woodbine is what got Sir Winston started,” said dual Hall of Famer trainer Casse, of the 2019 Belmont Stakes champion. “He was struggling as a young horse and we brought him to Woodbine. He got good and then went on and won the Belmont.”

After making his first two career starts south of the border in 2018, the son of Awesome Again made three starts at Woodbine, winning two of three, including a victory in the Display Stakes, in what was the final start of his two-year-old campaign.

“I think he's an overachiever,” said Casse. “I always tell the story where he got beat 20 lengths his first two starts and then went on to win the Belmont. He's always going to be special in my heart for that reason. He tries. He's not an imposing horse. He's an average-looking horse and became much better-looking as he got older.”

Bred and owned by Tracy Farmer, Sir Winston hit his best stride at Woodbine in 2021 after returning from an 11 ½-month hiatus from racing. He was sent to the sidelines near the end of 2020 before he loaded into the starting gate last August where he won an allowance race.

His past four engagements, three of them stakes, have all come at the Toronto oval, yielding two wins and a pair of seconds.

Sir Winston closed out his 5-year-old season with runner-up performances in the Grade 3 Durham Cup and Grade 2 Autumn at Woodbine before a smart score in the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes, over 1 ½ miles, on Dec. 5.

“The Valedictory, of course,” offered Casse, as to which 2021 win was the most impressive. “For Sir Winston, it was a little frustrating. A couple of times he got a little unlucky and I thought he could have won. The problem with Sir Winston is that a mile and a sixteenth is a little short for him. He would kick-in and everyone would sprint home and he would start kicking and then he's kind of run into traffic. It wasn't the rider's fault. He just doesn't have that quick, responsive acceleration. But he's a hard-trying horse.”

He has also overcome his fair share of adversity.

“We had him in Dubai. He was supposed to run in the 2020 World Cup and then they canceled it. He just didn't come back the same horse from Dubai. It took us a long time to get him back. We had to make a decision as to whether to retire him or give him a long break. So, we sent him back to the Farmer's place and he spent a lot of time there. Kudos to their farm because he came back a better horse.”

After the Valedictory triumph, Sir Winston headed back to south Florida to be with Casse, where he has been working over the dirt at Palm Meadows Training Center. On Jan. 7, he travelled five panels in 1:00.55, the second quickest of 27 moves at the distance.

Sir Winston arrives at the Pegasus with a 6-4-1 mark from 19 starts, with earnings of $1,189,873.

“In 2021, he gave me everything he had every time,” praised Casse.

He's hoping for similar good fortune this year, starting on Jan. 29 in the Sunshine State.

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Sir Winston Looks To Repeat History In Pegasus World Cup

Tracy Farmer's Sir Winston is on course for a start in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park 2 1/2 years after achieving his career highlight with a 14-1 upset victory in the 2019 Belmont Stakes.

Among the son of Awesome Again's victims in the third leg of the 2019 Triple Crown was War of Will, his more celebrated stablemate in the barn of Hall of Famer Mark Casse who was coming off a victory in the Preakness Stakes (G1) three weeks prior.

“I told people before the Belmont, 'I think you're missing somebody.' I said, 'It wouldn't shock me if he won.' He was doing really well,” Casse said. “I kind of feel the same way now. I think he's really back to himself and doing really well.”

Since prevailing in the Belmont, Sir Winston, who is scheduled to take on likely 2021 Horse of the Year and defending champion Knicks Go and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good in a star-studded Pegasus World Cup field, has experienced some rough moments. None proved more costly than a futile trip to Dubai, where the 2020 Dubai World Cup was cancelled less than a week before the race due to the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic.

“We took him to Dubai. We were a few days from running and they cancelled the Dubai World Cup. We brought him back and it really knocked him on his rear,” Casse said. “He just didn't come back the same horse. We ran him a few times and he didn't run great. We just sent him home to Tracy's farm and gave him a long time off. He's come back and has gotten better and better.”

Sir Winston was out of action for just shy of a year but returned to the races a happier and healthier horse for a four-race campaign at Woodbine. The Kentucky homebred won an Aug. 19 allowance impressively, before finishing a close second in both the Grade 3 Durham Cup and the G2 Autumn. He capped off his very successful season with a victory in the 1 1/2-mile G3 Valedictory Dec. 5.

“He got a little unlucky in a couple spots. For him to win at a mile and sixteenth, he needs to have a pretty good pace. He needs things to go his way,” Casse said. “He could have easily won a couple more last year.”

Sir Winston, who has produced a solid series of five workouts at Palm Meadows Training Center in preparation of the Pegasus World Cup, has impressed Casse with his enthusiasm during his comeback.

“It's funny but I think he enjoys his job now more than before,” Casse said. “He's very professional. He always has been, but he trains better, acts better. This is going to be a heck of a race. Hopefully, we can get a piece of the pie.”

Sir Winston, who has always run his best races at distances longer than 1 1/16 miles, figures to race off the early pace in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus, well behind Knicks Go and Life Is Good, the front-running winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

“It looks like there will be some serious pace. Obviously, he needs a lot of things to go his way,” Casse said. “He's feeling really well, and we believe he deserves a chance.”

Sir Winston broke his maiden Sept. 12, 2018 in his third career start following off-the-board finishes in a Churchill Downs dirt sprint and a two-turn turf race at Woodbine, scoring in a dead-heat in a mile-and-70-yard maiden special weight race over Woodbine's all-weather surface. He concluded his juvenile campaign with a victory in the Display Stakes at Woodbine, encouraging Casse to try him on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Following out-of-the-money finishes in the G3 Withers at Aqueduct, G2 Tampa Bay Derby and G2 Blue Grass at Keeneland, Sir Winston didn't merit a start in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, but he did earn a start in the Belmont Stakes with a second-place finish in the G3 Peter Pan at Belmont.

Although War of Will faltered in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont to finish ninth, Sir Winston stepped up to put Casse in the winner's circle, closing from off the pace to win by a length over favored Tacitus.

Casse is hopeful that Sir Winston will be able to pull off his second big upset 2 1/2 years later in the Pegasus World Cup.

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