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Casino Drive rolls to easy win over Pro-Ride

Casino Drive now holds a slight edge over Curlin and Big Brown in that he owns a win on the Pro-Ride (Charles Pravata/Horsephotos.com) A stone bruise forced Hidetoshi Yamamoto's CASINO DRIVE (Mineshaft) to miss his chance of following in his half-siblings' hoofsteps and giving his dam a historic triple in the June 7 Belmont S. (G1), but the gleaming chestnut earned his shot at history of another kind when easily scoring a three-quarters of a length victory on Sunday in the 8TH race at Santa Anita. Not only did the Kazuo Fujisawa trainee effortlessly move his record to a perfect three-for-three, but he stamped his ticket to the October 25 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in two weeks time, where he'll face reigning Horse of the Year Curlin (Smart Strike) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Big Brown (Boundary). "(Jockey) Victor (Espinoza) did a great job on him," said Nobutaka Tada, managing director of Globe Equine Management Ltd. "The horse saved plenty of energy for the Breeders' Cup. It was really a perfect prep race. He was ready to run, we knew, but he's not at the top of his form. So we hope that after this race, he's going to improve." Breaking alertly from the gate, Casino Drive was moved to the rail by Espinoza as By Spot (Brz) (Capitao Bank) went on to post the quarter-mile split in :24 1/5. However, not wanting his mount trapped on the inside, Espinoza angled Casino Drive to the outside when entering the backstretch and maintained a tight hold throughout. The chestnut settled down to chasing just in behind slow fractions of :49 and 1:12 4/5, then moved up to challenge rounding the final turn when let out a notch. Espinoza allowed Casino Drive to run down the lane and shook the reins at him once, but left no doubt he had saved something for the Breeders' Cup when finishing up the 1 1/16-mile test over the Pro-Ride in 1:42.

"We had a slow pace early, and I kind of let him go at the three-eighths," said Espinoza, who will ride Casino Drive back in the Classic. "At the eighth-pole, I wanted to see how much horse I had. I had plenty, believe me.

"It's fun when you ride a horse like, and I'm excited about riding him in the Classic."

Purchased by Tada on behalf of Yamamoto for $950,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale in 2006, Casino Drive has now earned $216,482 from his three lifetime starts. He dominated his rivals in Japan by 11 1/2 lengths when making his career debut on February 23, then wasn't seen in competition again until brought to the United States for the May 10 Peter Pan S. (G2). Once again asserting his superiority, the sophomore pulled away to score by 5 3/4 lengths in what was to be his prep for the Belmont. Circumstances dictated otherwise, though, and he shipped back to his home base in Japan to convalesce while his connections began planning for a swing at the Breeders' Cup. Casino Drive will enter the 1 1/4-mile Classic holding a slight advantage over both Curlin and Big Brown in that he now owns a win over the Pro-Ride.

Bred in the Bluegrass State by Shell Bloodstock, Casino Drive's abortive "Test of the Champion" bid might have given Grade 2 heroine Better Than Honour (Deputy Minister) her third straight Belmont S. winner, following Jazil (Seeking the Gold) in 2006 and champion Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) last year. Better Than Honour finished second in the 1999 Acorn S. (G1) and third in the Mother Goose S. (G1), earning $250,920 from an 8-2-4-2 mark. She is out of 1982 Kentucky Oaks (G1) heroine Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom [Fr]), making her a full sister to Group 3 victor Turnberry Isle (Ire) (Deputy Minister) and a half-sister to Group 2 heroine and Group 1 runner-up Smolensk (Danzig) as well as Group 1 runner-up Maryinsky (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

This is the female family of multiple classic winner El Gran Senor (Northern Dancer), who was a champion in England and Ireland; English and Irish champion Try My Best (Northern Dancer); English, French and Irish highweight Xaar (Zafonic); and Spinning World (Nureyev), who captured the 1997 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) and was highweighted in both France and Ireland.

Casino Drive has a pair of half-brothers by Giant's Causeway, a two-year-old colt named Man of Iron and an unnamed yearling colt.

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