Coach Mark Casse disagrees with author Thomas Wolfe.
Casse believes you can indeed go home again and he intends to prove it in a setting no less than January 29 at Gulfstream Park in the US$3 million Pegasus World Cup presented by 1/ST BET (G1) with his classic winner Sir Winston .
Most racing fans remember Tracy Farmer’s Sir Winston as the winner at the 2019 Belmont Stakes (G1). Some fans may also think that the 6-year-old horse had to retire after closing 2020 with a few unsatisfactory shots.
“He’s the only Triple Crown race winner still in training,” Casse pointed out.
What has kept him in the races is something of a surprise, unless you’re well versed in his past performances or following the race in Canada on a surface that has yielded the best in Sir Winston.
What tends to be overlooked is the hybrid child of Great again moving into the fast lane for the first time as a 2-year-old when starting to race on synthetic surfaces at Honeysuckle.
Before that, in the first two warm-ups, Sir Winston was sixth in points Churchill Downs and ninth on the pitch at Racecourse Saratoga. But after he was transferred Honeysuckle and switched to all-weather play there, he took his first win, finished third in Gray Stakes (G3), and ended his junior season with a show-stakes win. .
“He found his form at Woodbine,” Casse said.
Casse then returned Sir Winston to the dirt and was eventually awarded a second slot in Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park established his Triple Crown score in Belmont.
Coach Mark Casse (left) with Sir Winston in the winners’ circle after the 2019 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park
But after that, little worked for him. An ankle injury kept him out until December, when his return game was 11th on the Woodchopper Stakes field. After an allowance, claim the option to win at Aqueduct race track for the start of 2020, he was transported to the Middle East for the Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) but was stranded there when the race was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
When he returned to the United States, his luck remained unchanged. After a second on the Flat Out, he was sixth with 21 1/2 lengths in the Suburban (G2) on the same surface that he ran to glory in the Belmont Bet and then fourth with 20 3/4 lengths in the Champions Day Marathon Overnight Stock presented by the Post-Pure Care Alliance at Churchill Downs.
“It doesn’t seem like he wants to be a racehorse anymore,” Casse said. “That trip to Dubai was extremely difficult for him and he never recovered.”
That brought Farmer and Casse to a fork in the road. Did they retire him, or give him one last chance to revive his racing career? Farmer chose to keep him in training.
“Tracy is a real athlete,” Casse said. “Like so many people who wanted to retire and turn him into a stallion, Tracy loves racing and wants to keep running him.”
So, after the reset button was pressed, Casse decided to send Sir Winston to Woodbine’s friendly prison.
“Sometimes you have to go home to start over,” Casse said.
So, after some freshening time at the Farmer’s farm, Sir Winston was dispatched to Canada to rejuvenate Woodbine’s return to the all-weather track.
Sir Winston Wins 2021 Valuable Shares in Woodbine
Results so far favor Casse over Wolfe as Sir Winston records two wins and a pair of seconds in four games in 2021, capped by a win in the December 5 Valediodas (G3) Bet to mark six games. won in 19 careers. begin.
Inspired by those efforts, Casse hopes to have some déjà vu on Saturday when Sir Winston returns to the United States and races the Pegasus.
“I don’t understand why he doesn’t do well on dirty balls,” Casse said. “He has a new contract for life.”
Face to face Knicks Go and Life is good in the 1/8 mile Pegasus, Sir Winston reckons he will face the biggest test of his career. His 12-1 morning odds clearly reflect that.
“Anyone who accepts the race knows that he will have to run the race of his life to win Pegasus,” Casse said. “We understand that. But we’re there. If you’re not in it, you can’t win it. I feel he’s well-trained and I think he’s going to show himself well. Which puts him in this field, I’m not sure.”
On the bright side, son of Afleet Alex La Gran Bailadora mare and the lone winner of his dam’s six ponies are helped by late speed in a race where two speed-loving ponies will fight from the start. If the factions get out of hand, perhaps Sir Winston can benefit from it. It was a reasonable theory, but Casse knew that was easier said than done.
“That’s what everyone else is hoping for,” Casse said of the prospect of a Knicks Go vs. Life Is Good showdown. “I don’t see it happening, but we can hope for it.”
And if that hope fails, there is always the possibility of returning to Woodbine, where Sir Winston knows he can indeed return home again.
