by Mike Curry

In his lone prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), unbeaten Grade 2 winner Casino Drive coasted to a comfortable win on Sunday on the track where the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be contested on October 24-25.

The three-year-old Mineshaft colt, a half brother to Belmont Stakes (G1) winners Jazil and Rags to Riches, returned from a layoff of more than five months to win a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita Park in 1:42.14.

Casino Drive stalked the pace under Victor Espinoza, rolled into the stretch ready to pounce from three wide, and powered clear in early stretch when given his cue. Espinoza flashed the whip a few times in the final furlong to keep Casino Drive focused as the Peter Pan Stakes (G2) winner cruised to a three-quarter-length score in his final prep for the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 25 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita.

“That was a lot of fun for me, to ride a good horse like him,” Espinoza said. “There was a slow pace and I just wanted to let him go a little bit at the three-eighths [pole]. I wanted to have a good race for him today to have him ready for his next race.”

Nobutaka Tada, racing manager for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto, described the allowance victory as a “perfect race” for Casino Drive.

“The horse saved plenty of energy for the Breeders’ Cup,” Tada said. “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 the race, he’s going to improve.”

Kazuo Fujisawa trains Casino Drive for Yamamoto. Unbeaten in three starts, Casino Drive won his career debut by 11 1/2 lengths on February 23 at Kyoto racecourse in Japan and was shipped to the United States to prepare for the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

Casino Drive won the Peter Pan by 5 3/4 lengths on May 10 in his second career start and was on target for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont but he missed the final leg of the Triple Crown due to a minor bruise on his left hind foot.

Casino Drive is out of 2007 Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, by Deputy Minister. Better Than Honour produced ’06 Belmont winner Jazil and ’07 Belmont winner and champion three-year-old filly Rags to Riches.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor