A gelded son of of Deceptor, the three-year-old Case Closed is out of the Academy Award mare Candyfloss, who won twice and was runner-up eight times in a career spanning 17 starts. Candyfloss was no star but she was a game and genuine handicapper who won over 1800 metres at Klampenborg in Denmark and over 2400 metres at Gothenburg in Sweden, where she defeated the six-time winner Sir Benjamin. Her best piece of form was probably when she ran second to Ray in the prestigious Sceptre Stakes over 2200 metres at Klampenborg as a four-year-old. She was also second best in the Breeders' Cup Consolation, run over 1800 metres at the same venue, during the same campaign. Bred by Stutteri Hjortebo in Denmark, Candyfloss earned handicap 79 at her best. She was trained by Søren Jensen. Her record at stud is a work in progress as she has thus far produced one smart winner, namely Semper Fi, a daughter of Scandinavian champion Appel Au Maitre. Semper Fi is a name racing fans warmed to fairly easily last year. She was a quick learner for trainer Raphael Freire and became one of the best juveniles around, winning the Breeders' Trophy Juvenile at Bro Park in her fourth career start. She beat Bearium, Smooth Operator and Titannia in the September feature and it is fair to say that expectations are high for this filly's classic season. When sent to Sweden, Semper Fi was coming off a good second to Hear The Drums in Skandinavisk Mesterskap for 2-åringer at Øvrevoll in August. Her maiden win happened over 900 metres on her second start but she had no issues with 1400 metres in the Skandinavisk Mesterskap and 1370 metres at Bro Park, and she ran second to Intella in the Norwegian 1,000 Guineas - beaten just a quarter of a length over the 1600-metres trip, and went on to take third in Skandinavisk Mesterskap over 1800 metres - behind Hear The Drums and I Rest My Case. Semper Fi, who is now a broodmare, is by the high class middle distance stallion Appel Au Maitre. 

Case Closed's sire Deceptor, on the other hand, is a son of a French champion miler, Machiavellian, and his dam, Satin Flower, won the Jersey Stakes (G3) over 7 furlong at Royal Ascot. Deceptor's pedigree is not that of a potential speed sire, but it does lend itself more to speed than stamina, that's for sure. That said, Deceptor is the sire of Giovanni Nobile, who Annike also trained. Giovanni Nobile was a winner of 8 races, and he stayed 2400 metres all right (winning three times over that distance). He was out of Born To Win, a Chilean bred mare by Special Quest, who won the Prix Noailles (G2) over 2200 metres in France as a three-year-old and did well over shorter distances in North America subsequently, winning the Millennium Mile Handicap (LR) at Golden Gate Fields. GS 270223