Sweet Cassiopeia coming good for trainer Bill Connelly
Bill Connelly trained 4-year-old filly, Sweet Cassiopeia, who got her name from a queen in Greek mythology, and according to legend, the queen used to brag about her beauty, and just like her namesake, Sweet Cassiopeia is backing up the bragging by picking up pace this season at the right time.
The filly by Five Star Day, Sweet Cassiopeia never participated in a stakes race in her debut season last year, let alone a graded stakes event, but Bill Connelly showed confidence in the filly and ran her in the Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes at Woodbine in her seasonal debut.
The experience wasn’t a good one for someone who has been dwelling in allowance optional races, but that didn’t deter Connelly’s confidence and he decided to go for the second time at the same venue in the Grade 2 Hendrie Stakes, and the filly responded by finishing better than fifth, as she hit the board in third.
Staying at Woodbine, he chose an Allowance Optional Claimer in June, and it was another third place finish for the homebred filly for Dan Considine and Steve Snowden.
Though, Presque Isle Downs brought a second place finish in the Satin and Lace Stakes, but it was the beginning of a good run, as she found her feet and won the West Virginia Secretary of State Stakes at Mountaineer race course on 4 August, 2012.
Her first victory of the season was followed by her fifth defeat of the season, in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes, where she finished fifth for the second time in a graded event.
Bill Connelly, was tempted, but his versatile filly who went on to win 3 of her last 4 starts, hadn’t achieved the feat, had Connelly stepped her up in class again.
She went on to win an allowance race at Presque Isle Downs after the Masters Stakes defeat, and then bagged another allowance optional claimer at Keeneland on 26 October.
“She’s come around real well,” said Connelly. “She’s only run one time on the turf, and did pretty well, so we’re looking to maybe expand our options with her in this next race.”
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