Dream On up in time in exciting renewal of $125K Woodhaven

D.J. Stable’s Dream On came out on the winning end of a blanket finish to notch his first stakes victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Woodhaven, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
 
Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse and expertly piloted by fellow enshrine Javier Castellano, the dark bay son of Not This Time avenged an off-the-board finish last out in the Columbia in March at Tampa Bay Downs, and adds to a resume that includes a third in the Grade 1 Summer in September at Woodbine and a close fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Del Mar.
 
Dream On emerged from post 3 in the field of seven and was unhurried as the Kendrick Carmouche-piloted Sounds Like a Plan bounded to the front to overtake command from Cairo Caper and mark the opening quarter-mile in 24.03 seconds over the good footing.
 
Castellano said he was content to let Sounds Like a Plan and Cairo Caper do the heavy lifting early.
 
"It seemed to me those two horses had the speed today and I didn't want to hook up into a speed duel because on soft ground horses sometimes get into it too much and get tired at the end,” Castellano said. “I wanted to be more secure with the horse. It seemed to me; he can reach the distance if you're patient in the beginning of the race and he finished really well.”
 
Dream On stalked along the rail behind the top pair with Tiz Dashing alongside him and Septarian following suit while Sounds Like a Plan held a comfortable advantage through the half-mile in 49.25. Through the turn, Castellano coaxed his charge along the inside and went head-to-head with Cairo Caper before that pair angled to the outside of a stubborn Sounds Like a Plan at the head of the lane.
 
Cairo Caper faded and Sounds Like a Plan dug in through three-quarters in 1:13.30, but Dream On edged closer inside the final furlong and took command near the sixteenth pole. The top two appeared to be drawing clear of their rivals, but a slew of challengers made up ground late for a dramatic finish that saw Septarian surge between rivals from well off the pace with the favored Revolutionnaire finding his best stride a path wider.
 
Septarian gained with giant strides in the shadow of the wire, but Dream On had just enough late to repel the challenge and win by a neck in a final time of 1:38.06.
 
Septarian held second by a head over the gutsy pacesetter Sounds Like a Plan, with Revolutionnaire a nose back in fourth. End of Romance, Tiz Dashing and Cairo Caper completed the order of finish, with just four lengths covering the entire field in the tight finish.
 
Castellano said he called upon his experience with Dream On in his successful seasonal bow in a January optional claimer at Gulfstream Park.
 
"I learned a lot about the horse when I rode him at Gulfstream the first time. It seemed to me he liked to cover up a little bit and make one run,” Castellano recalled. “That's exactly what I did today. I let the other two go in a speed duel and covered up and saved the ground. He finished really well today. It was amazing the way he developed by himself."
 
Septarian, trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown and ridden by Flavien Prat, was making his turf debut in his first start since an off-the-board finish in the Grade 2 Risen Star in February at Fair Grounds Race Course. Prat said the Protonico gelding will likely benefit from more ground in the future.
 
“I was struggling to keep up with the pace and lost position,” Prat explained. “I couldn't keep up and he finally showed up the last eighth of a mile. I wish I could have kept him a bit more in contention, but I think it's just a matter of having more ground and he'll be OK."
 
Bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones, Dream On was a $380,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase and is out of the graded stakes-winning Discreet Cat mare Mamma Kimbo, who also produced stakes-winner Balandeen. He banked $68,750 in victory while returning $10 on a $2 win ticket.
 
Live racing resumes Sunday to close out the Big A spring meet with a nine-race card, featuring the Listed $150,000 Memories of Silver in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct Racetrack spring meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
 
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the spring meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.