Mark Casse Looks to Continue Winter Success in Melody of Colors

Hall of Fame Trainer Sends Out Abientot, Dare to Breeze in Turf Sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Winding down what has been his most successful winter yet in South Florida, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse aims to keep things rolling when he sends out Grade 3 winner Abientot and stakes-placed stablemate Dare to Breeze for their season debuts in Sunday’s $115,000 Melody of Colors at Gulfstream Park.

The 10th running of the Melody of Colors for 3-year-old fillies, scheduled at five furlongs on the turf course, is the headliner on a 10-race program that begins at 12:50 p.m.

With eight racing days left in the 2024-2025 Championship Meet, Casse sat third in the trainer standings with 33 wins and more than $2.2 million in purse earnings, surpassing previous highs of 31 wins and $1.8 million set last year. In his 10th consecutive full winter at Gulfstream, he also had personal bests of 231 starters, 32 seconds and 29 thirds – all ranking second.

Five of Casse’s wins have been in stakes, three of them coming on the grass with Mi Bago – the Pupit, Dania Beach and Colonel Liam. He also found success with Vixen in the Herecomesthebride (G3) and Nitrogen in the Ginger Brew.

Tracy Farmer’s Abientot will be making her first start since a disappointing effort in the one-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Del Mar, her longest race to date. She won two of her five prior starts, graduating second time out at Saratoga and coming from next-to-last to take the six-furlong Matron (G3) at Aqueduct in her Breeders’ Cup prep.

“She broke her maiden at Saratoga very impressively. She’s a nice horse. She prefers a little bit more distance but this is a good place to get her going,” Casse said. “This race is probably a touch short for her but we want to get her started. She doesn’t have any conditions. She’s a graded-stakes winner already, so this a good starting point, hopefully, for a big summer.”

Peter Deutsch’s Dare to Breeze started her career on the dirt, winning a restricted maiden special weight second time out at Saratoga and finishing fourth in the Adirondack (G3) to The Queens M G, last out winner of Gulfstream’s Davona Dale (G2) that is being pointed to the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) March 29.

Dare to Breeze capped her juvenile season in early October running second while facing males in the five-furlong Algonquin on the Woodbine turf, beaten a neck by her stablemate Mi Bago.

“It was a very good race. She barely got beat by Mi Bago and we know how well he’s done since then. I think she definitely likes the grass. I would think she would be ready to run a big one first time out,” Casse said. “I worked her in Saratoga on the grass and she went really well over it, so I was looking for grass. I thought maybe the way she moved over the dirt, too, that she would like grass.”

Dare to Breeze, third choice on the morning line at 9-2, drew outermost Post 10 with jockey Tyler Gaffalione while Abientot (4-1) will break alongside from Post 9 under Dylan Davis.

Danbro Farms’ Me Governor is also set to kick off her sophomore season in the Melody of Colors, unraced since finishing fourth in the Nov. 30 Fern Creek sprinting 6 ½ furlongs on the dirt at Churchill Dows. In her prior start, she was a front-running three-quarter-length winner of the six-furlong Stewart Manor over the Aqueduct turf.

“We ran out of turf races and I ended up running her at Churchill Downs in November on the dirt,” trainer Carlos David said. “We ended up fourth in that race and then we went ahead and decided to give her some time off at the farm for a couple months and then bring her back with this race in mind.”

Me Governor graduated on the dirt second time out at Monmouth Park, where she made her turf debut 3 ½ weeks later with a third in the five-furlong Colleen. Her only prior try at Gulfstream resulted in a 5 ¾-length optional claiming allowance sprinting five furlongs on the grass Sept. 29.

“She’s good on both but I think turf is really what she prefers and where she stands out the most,” David said. “She’s doing good. She breezed on the turf [Sunday] in [1:00.55] going five-eighths. It was perfect. We’re excited. Sometimes they need a race but she’s just so sharp. I think she’s ready and hopefully we get the win.”

Jorge Ruiz, up for her stakes win last fall, gets a return call from Post 5 as the narrow 7-2 program favorite.

Rounding out the field are Cloe, a debut winner Jan. 8 on Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta course yet to try turf; Laurice, fifth to Abientot in the Matron; British-bred Make Haste, in her North American debut; Shesinamood, unraced since a head victory in debut last August on the grass at Saratoga; Thankfully, a maiden winner Dec. 26 on the Gulfstream turf; Le Amazonia, with a win and four seconds in five starts; and Origami, third in the Cecil B. DeMille (G3) Dec. 1 at Del Mar.