Gary Barber, Michael James Ambler and Windways Farm's Catch a Glimpse (City Zip) emerged from her win in Saturday's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational in fine condition, according to Randi Melton, assistant to trainer Mark Casse. The chestnut led wire-to-wire to capture the 10-furlong Oaks–her first start at a distance beyond 1 1/16 miles.
“She's fantastic,” said Melton. “She ate up everything, her legs are good, she's happy.”
Catch a Glimpse is undefeated in eight starts on the turf, including a score in last October's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf en-route to securing honors as Canadian Horse of the Year for 2015. She is scheduled to travel north in the coming days to join Casse's summer string at Saratoga.
Team Casse also sent out Airoforce (Colonel John) to a 10th-place finish–beaten only three lengths by Deauville (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})–in the GI Belmont Derby Invitational.
“He only got beat three lengths; he ran huge,” Melton said of the colt's wide-traveling effort. “We're very happy with him. This turf course isn't easy to close on and that's what he likes to do. He still ran a very good race and he came out of it great.”
Joyce B. Young and Gerald McManus's Highland Sky (Sky Mesa) rallied and came up a neck shy of Deauville in the Belmont Derby, a result that trainer Barclay Tagg attributed to the dark bay's late-running style.
“That's the way he likes to run, but it gets him in trouble sometimes,” Tagg said. “But he came out of the race well. So far, so good.”
Tagg said that Highland Sky will be considered for another bid at Grade I glory in Arlington Park's GI Secretariat S. over the same 10-furlong trip Aug. 13. The veteran trainer also saddled 'TDN Rising Star' Tale of S'avall (Tale of Ekati) to a third-place finish in the GIII Dwyer S. Saturday, and added that the sophomore will be pointed toward the seven-furlong GI King's Bishop S. at Saratoga Aug. 27.
“I want to make [Tale of S'avall] a miler if I can, but they have to cooperate,” Tagg explained. “Seven furlongs should suit him.”
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