Casse Has Solid One-Two Punch for $175,000 Dania Beach

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will be represented in Thursday’s $175,000 Dania Beach at Gulfstream Park by a pair of 3-year-olds whose running styles complement each other.

D J Stable LLC’s Alpyland, a colt whose best performances have come while closing from off the pace, and Harry T. Rosenblum’s Truman’s Commander, a colt who prefers to play catch-me-if-you-can, should provide Casse with a solid one-two punch in the mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds that will co-headline a New Year’s Day program with the $175,000 Cash Run, a mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Alpyland, who showed some early speed before weakening and finishing off the board in his first two starts on the main tracks at Churchill Downs and Ellis Park, demonstrated considerable improvement on turf while rallying from off the pace in his next three starts.

“I think Alpyland is really talented, even on dirt. It took him a while to get his act together. He’s come around,” Casse said. “I think at some point I might try him again on dirt, but he has really taken to grass.”

Despite being bumped shortly after the start of his turf debut at Kentucky Downs, the son of Vekoma recovered to finish third. He came back to graduate in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight race over Keeneland’s turf course, before successfully stretching out to a mile in first-level optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Dec. 1. Alpyland was forced out while getting bumped going into the first turn and proceeded to advance four wide along the backstretch. He made a strong four-wide sweep to the lead on the turn into the homestretch and held off a late bid by Knoty Knicks to prevail by a neck.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez is scheduled to ride Alpyland for the first time in the Dania Beach.

Turf is all that Truman’s Commander knows. The son of Omaha Beach finished off the board after being bumped at the start of his debut in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight for New York-breds at Saratoga Aug. 8. He came right back to graduate by 2 ½ lengths in a 1 1/16-mile maiden event for state-breds three weeks later at Saratoga, setting all the pace under Edgard Zayas.

After finishing a tiring sixth in the Pilgrim (G2) and a weakening ninth in the Notebook at Aqueduct Truman’s Commander reunited with Zayas to register a front-running score in a mile optional claiming allowance Dec. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“He likes to show speed and be up near the lead,” Casse said. “He’s not a very big horse who loves his job. He’s a hard-trier. These are tougher but he’ll be up close to the lead. He likes that.”

Zayas has the return mount on Truman’s Commander.

Legion Racing and Awestrike Racing’s Honey Dutch enters the Dania Beach off a close-up third in the Central Park at Aqueduct, where the son of Knicks Go showed the way before falling short of victory by three-quarters of a length.

The Beckman Whitworth trainee, like Alpyland, ran twice on dirt to open his career, debuting with an off-the-board finish in the Sanford (G3) at Saratoga and a third-place finish at Ellis Park following a slow start. He broke his maiden by 6 ¾ lengths in his turf debut in a mile maiden special weight for state-breds at Kentucky Downs Sept. 4. Less than a month later, he fell a head short of winning gate to wire in a Churchill Downs allowance before shipping north for the Central Park.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Honey Dutch for the first time in the Dania Beach.

Centurian Thoroughbred Club’s Glorious Boy will seek back-to-back stakes victories at Gulfstream in the Dania Beach. The gelded son of Independence Hall overcame a rough trip in the off-the-turf Pulpit to be awarded the victory in the mile stakes that was moved to Tapeta after finishing in a dead-heat for first.

The Carlos Martin trainee entered the Pulpit off a second-place finish in the Awad at Aqueduct, where he broke his maiden in his turf debut in his third career start.

Rajiv Maragh has the return call on Glorious Boy.

REH LLC’s Knoty Knicks will take on Alpyland again in the Dania Beach after closing with a rush to finish a close-up second to the Casse trainee last time out. The Jeff Engler-trained son of Knicks Go broke his maiden on Tapeta by 5 ½ lengths in his second career start before finishing fifth in his turf debut at Keeneland and his second-place finish behind Alpyland.

Jose Morelos has return mount on Knoty Knicks.

LNJ Foxwoods’ Zeppelin will make his second career start in the Dania Beach after winning his debut in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on turf Nov. 9 at Churchill Downs. The son of Munnings was far back after breaking slowing from the starting gate but benefited from a ground-saving trip to graduate by a half-length.

Junior Alvarado has the call on the LNJ Foxwoods homebred.

Bella Mia Stables LLC’s A Million Dreams, who finished third behind Truman’s Commander at Tampa last time out after checking in third in the Pulpit; Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone’s Squire, who finished second in the Royal Palm Juvenile over the Gulfstream Turf last spring; Pocket Aces Racing LLC and Jenrick Thoroughbreds LLC’s Easy Wind, a steady-running son of Munnings who has been on the board in four of five starts; and OXO Equine LLC’s Grand Mahogany, who will make his turf debut after winning two of three starts on dirt; round out the field.