As Coach Mark Casse watched magic wheel improving as spring turns to fall, he can’t resist sharing the 2-year-old’s encouraging progress—even comparing her agility to the 2-year-old male 2016 champion Classic Empire .
“I put some pressure on myself and sometimes I wonder, ‘Why am I doing this,’” Casse said after this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). “But I tell everyone. people the way I feel.”
Certainly the pressure had eased off Casse after watching the Wonder Wheel rally as early as the 11th to win over Juvenile Fillies on the 4th of November. Keeneland.
Victory completed a season where the four-time billionaire’s daughter took the lead into naughty —wonderful girl via Awesome Tiz , won four of her five starts and finished second in a race she didn’t win. After winning the first special weight class on June 3 at Churchill Downs, Wonder Wheel captured the Debutante Stakes there. In the next start, Wonder Wheel will come second Leave No Traces in Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Racecourse Saratoga before ending the year with a straight 1st place win at Keeneland with her Breeders’ Cup score following her win at the Alcibiades Stakes there.
In those late season wins, the Wonder Wheel showed versatility. She got her first score in Alcibiades, hold on Hurry up . Then, in the Breeders’ Cup of Juvenile Athletics, she rallied from 11th to post a three-match win over Leave No Trace. Guided by Tyler Gaffalione, 10 horse passes is the most for any Juvenile winner since star limit rallied from 12th place to win the 2008 edition race.
Wonder Wheel is promoted by Jon and Len Green’s DJ Stable. In partnership with Cash is King, DJ Stable of the Green family also won this divisional championship in 2018 with Long walk .
Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm and Clearsky Farms, the Wonder Wheel improved her dam’s performance. At 2 Wonder Gal won places in the Fritzette Stakes (G1) and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Black multi-bet winner, 3rd place Wonder Gal placed in the Mother Goose (G1) and Acorn (G1) bets 2015.
The other two finalists for this year’s junior championship are WellSpring Stables’ Leave No Trace and Breeders’ Cup winners Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) Think who was lobbied by Coolmore affiliated partners Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg.
