Quick Casablanca up in time to upset Last Tycoon

Pablo Gomez's Quick Casablanca went off as the 16-1 longest shot on the board

in Friday's Grade 3, $100,250

Last

Tycoon Stakes, but the former Chilean Horse of the Year lived up to his name

to upset the opening-day feature of Santa Anita's Spring Meet. Producing a

terrific turn of foot in deep stretch, Quick Casablanca nailed a

loose-on-the-lead Fire With Fire at the line, and made a winning debut for Hall

of Fame trainer Ron McAnally. Even-money favorite Rookie Sensation was a

fast-closing third after lacking running room in the stretch.

Quick Casablanca hadn't visited the winner's circle in more than two years,

since the Group 1 Gran Premio Asociacion Latinoamericana in March 2012. Shipped

to North America, he had little luck in a New York campaign for Christophe

Clement in 2013, managing to place twice from five starts. A change of scenery

to Southern California has brought out the best in the six-year-old, who was

returning from a five-month layoff here.

Fire With Fire, coming off a wire job in the 1 1/2-mile San Luis Rey,

employed the same tactics on the cutback in trip, and almost stole the race.

Getting away with slow fractions of :25 1/5, :49 3/5 and 1:13 2/5 on the firm

turf, he tried to give the field the slip turning for home.

Quick Casablanca, who had been reserved off the pace, commenced an

eye-catching move rounding the far turn. Steered out wide by Joe Talamo, he then

took a while to wind up down the lane, but soon gathered irresistible momentum.

The bay forced his head in front to complete 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 3/5 and paid

$34.60 to win.

"He looked unbelievable today," Talamo said. "I was able to work him the

other day and he showed me that turn of foot in the morning too, just exploded.

All the credit goes to Ron, this is my first time riding him (in a race.)

"I'm always optimistic, no matter what, but he definitely showed me that turn

of foot the other morning. I wasn't real happy with the pace, they were moving a

little slow on the front end, so I had to move sooner than I wanted. He handled

it great though. When I showed him daylight he gave me an explosive kick."

"It was a perfect ride," assistant trainer Dan Landers said. "He came up to

the race very well. He's a big horse and we just started over with him after he

got here. He had had time off and they sent him to us from Florida. I thought

he'd run big but you never know. You have to see what you have first. I'm very

happy."

Jockey Tyler Baze was proud of Fire With Fire's effort.

"I kind of had to time it right today and when I did he gave me a hundred and

fifty percent," Baze said. "He kicked hard. He had a kick his last time out, in

the mile-and-a-half San Luis Rey, but not like today. He really had a turn of

foot and it was shocking actually. He ran so good and he tried so hard."

Rookie Sensation was patiently handled by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, content

to lope in last for much of the way. But he found a wall of horses in front of

him when trying to launch his rally. By the time he gave up on finding a seam,

and altered course around the whole field, it was too late. Rookie Sensation

flashed home for third, beaten a grand total of a neck. Lakerville checked in

fourth, and Spring Up and Joelito rounded out the order under the wire.

Quick Casablanca's first U.S. win, and third career stakes score, improved

his resume to 17-4-6-4, $548,580. Victorious in his debut as a juvenile, the son

of Until Sundown endured a prolonged bout of seconditis. Quick Casablanca was

runner-up in his two remaining outings at two, the Group 3 Premio Alvaro

Covarubbias and Group 1 Premio Alberto Vial Infante, and his first three starts

as a sophomore, the Group 2 Premio Criadores Machos, Group 1 Premio Polla de

Potrillos and Group 1 Premio Nacional Ricardo Lyon. Third in the Group 1 Premio

El Ensayo, he ended 2011 with another second-place finish in the Premio St

Leger.

In early 2012, Quick Casablanca earned an overdue breakthrough in the Group 1

Premio El Derby, and made it two straight in the aforementioned Asociacion

Latinoamericana. Although he was subsequently a well-beaten third in the Gran

Premio Hipodromo Chile in his finale back home, he had done enough to earn

Chilean Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old colt honors.

Quick Casablanca began his U.S. sojourn with an encouraging third in last

May's Good Reward on the inner turf at Belmont Park. He next tried the Brooklyn

Handicap on the main track, but was a tailed-off last in the slop. Quick

Casablanca reverted to turf for the July 31 John's Call at Saratoga, where he

clipped heels in the opening stages, and recovered well for third. He then set

the early pace in the September 7 Bowling Green at Belmont, fading to fourth. In

his last start for Clement, he was a mildly-closing fifth in the November 17

Slew O' Gold on the Aqueduct dirt.

Bred by Haras Matancilla in Chile, Quick Casablanca is a half-brother to

Group 3 winners Kaleb and Kashba and to multiple stakes-placed Quiso Ser. Their

dam, the Cipayo mare Quick, is a full sister to South African Horse of the Year

Illustrador, Argentinean Group 1 stars Indalecio and Ishkra, South African Group

2 victor Agapanto and multiple South African Group 1-placed Vladimir. Yet

another of Quick's full siblings, Iskara, is the dam of Argentinean champion

Ivory Tower.

Other members of this productive family include Argentinean champion milers

Inter Red and Di Escorpion; Group 1 winners Thano, Twine, Miss Twins and Reina

Victoriosa; and U.S. Horse of the Year Invasor.

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