Casse Gets Top Filly

Mark Casse was very active here 12 months ago, purchasing six juveniles for $1,395,000, including eventual J “TDN Rising Star” J and GI Darley Alcibiades S. heroine My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller) on behalf of Conquest Stables for $240,000, and he found another filly this time around that caught his keen eye. Fending off a challenge from Whisper Hill Farm’s Mandy Pope, the Canadian-based conditioner went to $700,000 for the sale’s top-priced filly, a daughter of Malibu Moon consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, Agent XVIII. Casse declined to say who the purchase was made for, but signed the ticket as Mark Casse, agent, which usually indicates a buy for John Oxley. Hip 408, a daughter of GSW Sunshine for Life (Giant’s Causeway), breezed Saturday in :10 1/5. 
“We love Malibu Moon and she was just a beautiful filly and a great mover,” said Casse after exchanging pleasantries with Pope and Brennan. “I just loved her.” 
Casse purchased five babies at the sale–three that he signed for in his name totaling $1,355,000, and another two under Ernie Semersky and Dory Newell’s Conquest Stables for $1,050,000. 
Consignor Niall Brennan had beamed about Hip 408 before the sale, and reiterated his high opinion of the day’s most popular filly afterwards. 
“I believed this filly was very special,” said Brennan of the big-striding chestnut, who was bred in Kentucky by Jane Schosberg and was going through the sales ring for the first time here. “I have all winter–she’s just trained like those really good ones do. She just does everything with such ease and elegance. I hope I’m right and I think she’s got a great chance. Obviously, Mark has been extremely successful and does a great job with his horses. Plus, Mandy Pope was the underbidder, so either way she was going to a very good home. I’m delighted they got her… Time will tell, but I think they got their hands on a really good one.”