Team Casse has another talented turf filly on their hands.
While champion Tepin is the barn's undisputed queen and Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse commands her own respect, John Oxley's 2-year-old La Coronel showed she's worthy to tread in their hoofprints with a powerful 4 1/4-length victory Oct. 12 in the $150,000 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (gr. IIIT). Video: JPMorgan Chase Jessamine S. (G3T)
The daugher of Colonel John also punched her ticket to the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. IT) under jockey Florent Geroux as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" program.
"Oh yeah, I think we're in," trainer Mark Casse said. "My son Norman has done a good job with this filly. She's kind of excitable and he got her ready for this today. When she broke her maiden up at Saratoga (Sept. 5), Florent came back and said, 'I think we have another Catch a Glimpse.'"
Sent off the 9-5 favorite in a field of 12, La Coronel tracked fourth along the inside in the 1 1/16-mile turf test for juvenile fillies as Kentucky Juvenile Fillies Stakes winner Lull pressed the pace set by longshot Divine Humor. After posting early fractions of :22.89 and :47.37, Divine Humor backed up suddenly in the far turn, and Lull took over to run three-quarters in 1:13.57 into the stretch. But La Coronel was driving hard and put her away with a 1:37.35 mile, then increased her margin to soar clear under the line.
"When you ride good horses, they make it easier for you," Geroux said. "We had a good trip. She put me exactly where we needed to be. When I asked her down the lane, she just exploded—very nice turn of foot and that was it. When I pushed the gas, it was just a matter of how far she was going to win by."
The final time was 1:43.37 on a firm course.
La Coronel was the fifth stakes-winning juvenile for Casse in the past five days, joining Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) winner Classic Empire, Grey Stakes (Can-III) winner Golden Hawk, Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (gr. IIIT) winner Keep Quiet, and Mazarine Stakes (Can-III) winner Gale Force.
The winner returned $5.80, $4.20, and $3, while Lull paid $5.40 and $4.80. Rum Go brought $17.40 to show. Sweeping Paddy, Majestic Bonnie, Liberale, Tapa Tapa Tapa, Lipstick City, Majestic Gale, Wicked Lick, Zero Zee, and Divine Humor completed the order of finish.
La Coronel was bred in Kentucky by Kim Nardelli, Rodney Nardelli, Susan Bunning, A. Jaffreys, and B. Jaffreys, out of the graded stakes-placed Chester House mare Listen. She went through the sales ring three times, most recently purchased for $375,000 by East-West Stable from the Winners Circle Thoroughbreds consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training. She improved her record to two wins from four starts for earnings of $144,615.