Gary Barber’s Lexie Lou, a clear cut favourite to be named Canada’s Horse of the Year on the back of wins in the Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate, will square off against Kentucky Derby champion California Chrome in Saturday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Hollywood Derby, at Del Mar.
Trained by Mark Casse, the talented Sligo Bay filly has notched four wins from seven sophomore starts taking the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, and $1-million Queen’s Plate on the ‘Poly’, while also capturing the grassy Wonder Where Stakes over Woodbine’s E.P. Taylor Turf Course and, most recently, the Grade 3 Autumn Miss on the Santa Anita Turf.
“She’s training as well as she ever has. She’s really on her game,” said Casse over the phone from California.
The Hollywood Derby will mark the first meeting of Queen’s Plate and Kentucky Derby winners since 2006, when 2005 Queen’s Plate winner Wild Desert and 2003 Kentucky Derby hero Funny Cide finished sixth and eighth, respectively, in the Woodward at Saratoga.
“I don’t know that there’s even been a filly Queen’s Plate winner take on a Derby winner. All I can tell you is that I would never try California Chrome if it was on the dirt, but our feeling is that our filly is training extremely well and she loves the turf. I think it’s good for racing,” said Casse.
There have been a number of dramatic encounters between Plate and Derby winners in recent history, most notably in 1998 when Awesome Again, the 1997 Plate winner, defeated 1997 Kentucky Derby champ Silver Charm in the Stephen Foster Handicap and Breeders’ Cup Classic.
In 1993, Queen’s Plate champ Peteski defeated Derby winner Sea Hero in Molson Million, at Woodbine, in the same year as their classic scores.
Well regarded as a juvenile, Lexie Lou rattled off a record of 3-2-1 from eight starts and purse earnings in excess of $300,000 while racing for then owner-trainer John Ross. Following her 2014 debut on April 19, a fourth-place effort in the Star Shoot Stakes, she was purchased privately by Barber from Ross.
Lexie Lou finished third in the Fury Stakes first time out for new connections on May 10, and Casse subsequently removed the blinkers from the filly for the first time and with clear eyes and full heart, Lexie Lou romped to a 4 1/2-lengths score in the Woodbine Oaks.
The filly then provided six-time Sovereign Award-winning trainer Casse with his first Plate win, launching a hair-raising rally around the final turn to capture her second Canadian classic by 1 1/2-lengths.
“She has nothing to prove. She’s a queen in her own right, but we’re going to see if we can’t beat up on the king,” said Casse of the upcoming battle with California Chrome.
The only blemish on Lexie Lou’s record this season came in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes, on September 14, when she finished last of 10 in the 1 1/8-miles turf stake, over good going, against older fillies and mares.
“We don’t really know what happened that day. She was in season at the time, but we don’t know if that had any bearing. We just don’t have a good answer,” said Casse. “I can tell you she’s really good right now. She usually brings her ‘A’ game and if that will be good enough to deal with California Chrome remains to be seen.”
Lexie Lou made amends for her effort in the Canadian by shipping to Santa Anita and rallying to an authoritative 1 1/4-length score last time out in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss over Diversy Harbor and Zindaya.
As her current record stands, Casse is confident that Lexie Lou is Canada’s top horse.
“Win, lose or draw, I don’t think there can be any other horse of the year but her. She’s done it all,” said Casse.
California Chrome, trained by Art Sherman, rattled off an impressive seven-race win streak that started on December 22, 2013 in the King Glorious Stakes at Hollywood Park and lasted through scores at Santa Anita in the California Cup Derby, Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby; and continued through the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs, and the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico.
However, the chestnut son of Lucky Pulpit has yet to win in three starts since the Preakness, finishing fourth in his try at Triple Crown immortality in the Grade 1 Belmont, sixth in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby and third, most recently, in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
California Chrome will make his turf debut in the Hollywood Derby. He breezed four furlongs in :52 flat over the Del Mar Turf on November 23. That same day, the Casse-trained Kaigun, entered in Friday’s Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap, breezed four furlongs in a swift :46.80.
“I can’t believe he went that fast,” said Casse of Kaigun’s breeze. “I didn’t have a stopwatch, but watching him go, I thought he went about :49 and when somebody said to me ‘:46 and four’ I said, you’ve got to be kidding me.
“I watched California Chrome go and he wasn’t really putting much effort into his work and I said to (fellow trainer) John Sadler, ‘I’m not sure if California Chrome likes the turf but I know Kaigun does’.”
A field of six has been assembled for the 1 1/8-miles Hollywood Derby. Casse will leave the race strategy in the capable hands of Corey Nakatani who was aboard for Lexie Lou’s Autumn Miss win.
“We have Corey Nakatani riding and he’s one of the best in the game. Lexie Lou has enough speed that if they want to walk she’ll be close, and if they’re fast she can sit back,” said Casse. “I think a small field gives California Chrome an advantage not having to worry about running in any traffic. The sharper turns will be something new for him, but I think a bigger field could have worked to our advantage. With six horses he won’t have any traffic and we’ll be playing catch up I’m sure.”
A big weekend for Casse starts on Friday when he sends out Kaigun in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar and continues to Saturday where, in addition to Lexie Lou’s California showcase, he’ll saddle Conquest Artura and Ol’ Fashion Gal in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante as well as Conquest Typhoon in Sunday’s Grade 3 Cecil B. Demille; Moonlight Bandit, Flashaway and Sky Hero are entered in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, at Churchill Downs; Danzig Moon and Shez a Masterpiece are slated for the Coronation Futurity, at Woodbine; and the cross-entered Flashaway and Moonlight Bandit are amongst the starters in the Grade 2 Remsen, at Aqueduct.
Casse, currently the leading trainer at Woodbine by a wide margin, is also in the midst of a battle to be top trainer at Churchill Downs where he is tied with Dale Romans and Wayne Catalano with nine wins for the meet which ends on November 30.
“I was leading trainer at Churchill Downs in the mid ‘80s (1988 Spring Meet) and it would be fun to be leading trainer again there this fall,” said Casse.
However, first and foremost on the minds of most racing fans is the upcoming battle of the sexes between a Queen’s Plate winning filly and Kentucky Derby winning colt.
“‘Lexie’ is carrying good flesh right now, she’s a happy camper and that’s important. This is good for racing and I’m just happy and proud to say we’re a part of it,” said Casse.
The Hollywood Derby is slated as Race 8 on Saturday’s nine-race card at Del Mar and will go to post at 7 p.m. EST. Fans can watch and wager on the card via HorsePlayer Interactive.
FIELD FOR THE GRADE 1 $300,000 HOLLYWOOD DERBY AT DEL MAR
POST / HORSE / JOCKEY / TRAINER
1 / Talco / Drayden Van Dyke / John Sadler
2 / Lexie Lou / Corey Nakatani / Mark Casse
3 / Flamboyant / Mike Smith / Patrick Gallagher
4 / Sawyer’s Hill / Rafael Bejarano / Kristin Mulhall
5 / California Chrome / Victor Espinoza / Art Sherman
6 / Cabral / Kent Desormeaux / Leonard Powell
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