Miesque’s Approval Half-Brother Named Eclipse Turf Horse
Live Oak Plantation’s World Approval, the 2017 Ricoh Woodbine Mile winner trained by Mark Casse, was named Champion Male Turf Horse at the 47th Annual Eclipse Awards at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida on Thursday evening while Gun Runner took home Horse of the Year honours.
The Eclipse Awards, honouring excellence in North American Thoroughbred racing, presented by The Stronach Group, Daily Racing Form and the Breeders’ Cup, are voted on by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form (DRF) and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB).
Owned and bred in Ocala, Florida by Live Oak’s Charlotte Weber, World Approval closed out a $2 million season in 2017 with three consecutive victories in Grade 1 stakes, including the Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga, the Ricoh Woodbine Mile at Woodbine and Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar — the latter two with jockey John Velazquez aboard.
World Approval also earned back-to-back stakes wins in the EG Vodka Turf Classic at Tampa Bay and Grade 2 Longines Dixie Stakes at Pimlico early in his six-race, five-year-old campaign. The striking Northern Afleet-Win Approval gelding is a half-brother to Live Oak’s Miesque’s Approval, who was named Champion Grass Horse in 2006.
Miesque’s Approval stands at Scott Bros, and produced the likes of Gr2 winners Judicial and J’s Outsider, as well as Gr1 Vodacom July placed Eton Square amongst others.
