2017 Eclipse Award Champion Male Turf Horse
World Approval was the brilliant champion turf miler of 2017, a dark bay homebred who delivered the goods on Breeders' Cup day for one of America's most respected breeding operations. He was foaled in 2012, a son of the stallion Northern Afleet out of the mare Win Approval. He was bred and raced by Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Plantation in Florida, the family operation that has produced quality runners for decades. He was trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, with John Velazquez in the saddle for nearly all of his biggest moments.
World Approval built up his championship resume through the summer of 2017 with a string of major grass stakes wins. He captured the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park, then traveled to Saratoga for the Fourstardave Handicap, where he ran another quality race against top milers. He kept his form sharp through the fall and pointed straight to Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup, where he would face the best turf milers from around the world. Mark Casse had him primed for a peak performance.
The 2017 Breeders' Cup Mile was the day World Approval put it all together. With John Velazquez in the saddle, he came rolling down the Del Mar lane and charged past his rivals to win by a length and a half. The victory came against a deep international field and confirmed his place at the top of the American turf division. The trophy went home to Florida with the Live Oak Plantation team, who had bred and raced the colt every step of the way.
For his brilliant year, World Approval was named the 2017 Eclipse Award Champion Male Turf Horse. He retired soon after to stud at Live Oak Stud in Florida, where he began a stallion career within the same family operation that had brought him into the world. World Approval is remembered as one of the great homebred success stories of his era, a horse who carried the Live Oak name to Breeders' Cup glory and gave Charlotte Weber and Mark Casse a championship to celebrate together.
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