Live Oak Plantation homebred World Approval (Northern Afleet) scored his first win at the highest level going 1 3/8 miles in last term's GI United Nations S. and has also won multiple races at nine furlongs. Trainer Mark Casse cut him back to a mile last time for Saratoga's GI Fourstardave H. with great success and the gray now sports a pair of top-level scores as a turf miler, following his win at the Spa Aug. 12 with a front-running score in the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile Sunday, a “Win and You're In” event for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Casse also won last year's renewal of this test with two-time champion Tepin (Bernstein).
Away well from his rail draw, World Approval went straight to the front, battling Dragon Bay (Parading) through an opening quarter in :23.77 and a half in :46.45 with a host of other rivals swarming them from all sides. Shrugging off his rivals rounding the far turn, the 2-1 chalk hit a whole new gear in the lane, storming clear under a rail-skimming ride from Hall of Famer John Velazquez to win by 2 1/2 lengths over European invader Lancaster Bomber (War Front). Long On Value (Value Plus) completed the trifecta.
“I think he can do anything,” Casse said. “We found the mile is what he wants. We're excited to be going to the Breeder's Cup. I'm excited. Mrs. Weber's been a big part of my life for a long, long, long time. We both grew up in Ocala. She's been there and Live Oak has been part of Ocala for 50 years so this was special. It was nice for her to be there. She had never been there for a win before so that was nice.”
“I wasn't sure who the speed horse was going to be and I see he's always been pretty close to the pace, not on the lead, but pretty close,” said Velazquez, who won the Woodbine Mile in 2000 with Riviera (Fr) and captured the 2012 and 2013 renewals with two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan. “He broke well today, no one seemed to want the lead, I just kind of left him there and he held on very well.”
Runner-up in last term's GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on Derby day and winner of Monmouth's United Nations, World Approval kicked off this term with a pair of facile victories in Tampa's state-bred Turf Classic Apr. 2 and Pimlico's GII Longines Dixie S. on Preakness day May 20. Fifth in the GI Woodford Reserve Manhattan S. on the GI Belmont S. undercard June 10, the 5-year-old returned to winning ways in the Fourstardave last time Aug. 12.
Pedigree Notes:
World Approval is the latest success story for his dam Win Approval, whose best produce was Miesque's Approval (Miesque's Son), the 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero and that year's Eclipse Award-winning turf male and now a sire in South Africa. Win Approval's other seven-figure earners include Revved Up (Sultry Song) and Za Approval (Ghostzapper). World Approval's half-sister Highest Approval (High Fly) is the dam of MGSP Roman Approval (Roman Ruler). World Approval is the final listed produce for his dam, who was barren to Northern Afleet in 2013.
Saturday, Woodbine
RICOH WOODBINE MILE S.-GI, C$801,600, WO, 9-16, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.05, fm.
1–WORLD APPROVAL, 124, g, 5, by Northern Afleet
1st Dam: Win Approval, by With Approval
2nd Dam: Negotiator, by Hoist the Flag
3rd Dam: Geneva II, by Gulf-Weed
O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Live Oak Stud (FL); T-Mark E. Casse; J-John R. Velazquez. C$480,000. Lifetime Record: 23-10-2-4, $1,837,363. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. *1/2 to Revved Up (Sultry Song), MGSW, $2,648,879; Miesque's Approval (Miesque's Son), GISW, $2,648,879; Za Approval (Ghostzapper), MGSW & MGISP, $1,394,666.
2–Lancaster Bomber, 112, c, 3, War Front–Sun Shower (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire). O-Michael B Tabor, Mrs John Magnier & D Smith; B-Sun Shower Syndicate (KY); T-Aidan P. O'Brien. C$160,000.
3–Long On Value, 117, h, 6, Value Plus–Long Message, by Orientate. ($3,000 Ylg '12 EASSEP). O-Wachtel Stable, George J. Kerr and Gary Barber; B-Snow Lantern Thoroughbreds (VA); T-William I. Mott. C$80,000.
Margins: 2HF, HF, NO. Odds: 2.35, 4.55, 9.60.
Also Ran: Mondialiste (Ire), Arod (Ire), Dutch Connection (GB), Conquest Panthera, Tower of Texas, Glenville Gardens, Best Bard, Deauville (Ire), Dragon Bay.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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