Changing Skies, Casablanca Smile headline La Prevoyante

Casablanca Smile has rounded back into the top-class form she showed in Chile (Keeneland/Coady Photography) CHANGING SKIES (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) and CASABLANCA SMILE (Chi) (Ocean Terrace) rank as the 121-pound co-highweights in Sunday’s $100,000 La Prevoyante H. (G2) at Calder, but the turf marathon mares have gone in different directions of late. Changing Skies, who was nailed at the wire in the Flower Bowl Invitational (G1) two starts ago, was a lackluster fourth as the 3-5 favorite in the November 13 Long Island H. (G3) in her latest and bids to atone here. In contrast, Casablanca Smile, who was previously dismissed by Changing Skies in the Waya S. at Saratoga, comes off a total conquest in the October 24 Dowager S. at Keeneland and aims to keep her newfound momentum going. The royally-bred Changing Skies was a model of consistency last season until her subpar effort in the Long Island. The Bill Mott trainee kicked off the year with a victory in The Very One S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park, and finished second to the highly-regarded Lady Shakespeare (Theatrical [Ire]) in the Bewitch S. (G3) and New York S. (G2), before handily defeating Casablanca Smile in the August 9 Waya at this 1 1/2-mile trip. Changing Skies was a trifle unfortunate next time in the Flower Bowl, where she was in front before and after the wire, and would be tough to beat here if she can recapture that form. For the first time since the Waya, the Swettenham Stud homebred will reunite with Kent Desormeaux, who must carve out a sensible trip from the far outside post 11.

Casablanca Smile had been chasing Chilean superstar Belle Watling (Chi)
(Dushyantor) back home, and paid her a compliment by scoring in the El Derby
(Chi-G1) and Las Oaks (Chi-G1). Those successes lifted Casablanca Smile to
champion stayer honors in Chile. Although she understandably took a few starts
to reach her peak since coming to North America, the Shug McGaughey pupil has
never run a bad race here. Third to eventual Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf
(G1) heroine Shared Account (Pleasantly Perfect) in the All Along S. (G3) in her
U.S. bow, Casablanca Smile garnered runner-up honors in the Waya and the Glens
Falls H. (G3), but improved markedly in the Dowager, simply crushing her rivals
by seven lengths in a front-running masterpiece. Javier Castellano will be back
in the irons on Sunday.

The Marty Wolfson-trained SPEAK EASY GAL (West Acre), a distant third after
failing to employ her typical pacesetting tactics in the Dowager, could resume
her role as the early leader in this spot. Indeed, it was her prowess on the
front end that helped her to steal the Orchid S. (G3) earlier this season at
Gulfstream Park, and nearly netted her the Omnibus S. at Monmouth two back.
Elvis Trujillo takes the return call.

Also worth a look are TARRIP (Green Desert), third in both the Long Island
and Omnibus for Christophe Clement; SWEET AND FLAWLESS (Unbridled’s Song), best
of the rest in the Dowager but a long-way last in the Long Island; the honest
LIBERALLY (Ire) (Statue of Liberty), earlier third to Changing Skies and
Casablanca Smile in the Waya; and pace factor BODUA (North Light [Ire]), a close
third in Canada’s classic Wonder Where S. two starts back.