Graded stakes winners Bring Theband Home (Into Mischief) and Final Accord (War of Will) posted their final works for trainer Mark Casse over Belmont's training track on Sunday in preparation for this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar.
Bring Theband Home, winner of the GII Troy Stakes at Saratoga this summer, will run in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint while GIII Matron scorer Final Accord is expected to run in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
“We thought they both went really well, and we're excited,” Casse said. “I expect both of them to run very big in California.”
Live Oak Plantation's homebred Bring Theband Home was caught by NYRA clockers covering a half-mile in :47.11 in his first work back since finishing seventh in the Oct. 4 GII Nearctic at Woodbine.
“Bring Theband Home kind of threw a clunker at Woodbine, and it was a head-scratcher for us, so we brought him back to New York where he likes it, and he worked like his old self this morning,” Casse said. “He trained so-so into his last race, which is not like him. We ran him and Javier [Castellano] said he just wasn't himself. We got him out of there as soon as possible and this morning, he was a fire plug. He was on his game.”
Gary Barber and Peter Deutsch's juvenile filly Final Accord covered a half-mile in :47.63, according to NYRA clockers.
“She went around there and worked well, and she always shows that she's a little special,” Casse said. “She's 2-for-2 and has done everything right. I think she has a real big future. My only regret is that she hasn't had a two-turn race, but I think the added distance is absolutely going to help her–you saw that in her win in the Matron with how she came running late. The mile will be perfect for her.”
Casse noted that both Final Accord and Bring Theband Home are slated to ship to California on Saturday, and that their Belmont breezes were their final works before the Breeders' Cup.
In addition to his two turf stars, Casse will send out one of the top contenders in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff with D.J. Stable's GISW sophomore Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), last seen finishing a head second to Gin Gin in the GI Spinster Oct. 5 at Keeneland.
Casse said he was “extremely pleased” with Nitrogen's effort, which came on the heels of a 1 1/2-length victory in Saratoga's GI Alabama Aug. 16.
“She's doing great,” he said. “Things didn't go exactly as planned, and we would have liked to have won, but I was just looking at her record in her last eight starts, and she's only a head and a nose from being undefeated this year,” Casse said, alluding to the Spinster and her nose second to Fionn in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on turf in June at the Spa. “It's been against nothing but the best of her company.”
Casse added that Nitrogen is expected to breeze on Wednesday or Thursday at Churchill Downs before shipping to California on Sunday.
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