Mark Casse

The Minkster (English Channel) looks to take his record to three-for-three in Woodbine's GIII Grey S. Sunday. Romping by 6 1/4 lengths in his career bow on the Woodbine turf Oct. 2, the bay took to a route of ground with ease, capturing the nine-furlong Coronation Futurity S. on the synthetic here four weeks later. Kevin Attard sends out two here in Hicksy (Hootenanny) and Be Like Clint (Point of Entry). A dominant second-out graduate on the local main track Oct. 3, Hicksy captured the Display S. at this oval...

Multiple Sovereign Award winner Mark Casse sends out four of the nine runners in Sunday's GIII Mazarine S. at Woodbine. Leading the quartet is Conrad Farms homebred Aubrieta (Speightster). A debut winner sprinting at this oval Sept. 11, the bay was second in the state-bred Shady Well S. Oct. 8 and returned to winning ways in the Glorious Song S. here 22 days later. Live Oak's $550,000 OBSMAR buy Souper Hoity Toity (Uncle Mo) graduated at second asking on the grass here Oct. 1 and won an optional claimer on...

Grade I winners Got Stormy (Get Stormy) and Juju's Map (Liam's Map) put in their final works for their respective Breeders' Cup races at Churchill Downs Friday morning. MGISW turfer Got Stormy had her final career breeze at 7:30 a.m. under jockey Declan Carroll, cruising a half-mile in :48.60 in preparation for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. "We had some rain in the area but the track was really good so I decided to move her work up a day," trainer Mark Casse's assistant David Carroll said. "Sometimes you see...

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will host a worldwide livestream event Thursday, October 21 at 8 p.m. ET, celebrating the transformative power of horses through the TRF Lowell 20th Anniversary Horse Show. The virtual event will bring viewers inside the horse farm at the Lowell facility and provide an opportunity to experience the connection between the horses and the women currently participating in the program. The Lowell Horse Show will also shine a spotlight on several women who have successfully graduated from the program and gone on to brighter futures...

Saturday's GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Fanduel Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar in six weeks' time, and a legitimate case can be made for at least half of the 10 runners set to face the starter. Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), promoted to third in this event in 2019, is the proven Grade I runner in the field, having scored three times at the highest level. The Peter Brant colorbearer made the most of his seasonal debut, belying...

Having ascended through his conditions with aplomb, Pappacap (Gun Runner) hopes the trend continues in Monday's GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity. A first-out winner going five panels at Gulfstream May 14, the Rustlewood Farm homebred came from just off the pace to make it two straight in the Aug. 7 GII Best Pal S. Joe Bravo, who was aboard last time, reunites with the Florida bred again here. Never one to be disregarded, on either coast, trainer Steve Asmussen is represented by American Xperiment (Nyquist), who shipped to the West...

Heavily favored on the morning line, Live Oak Plantation's GI Longines Test S. runner-up Souper Sensational (Curlin) will likely need to run that race or better as she faces an intriguing field of emerging sophomore filly sprinters in Saturday's GII Prioress S. at Saratoga. Named a 'TDN Rising Star' for an easy debut graduation last September at Woodbine, the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy quickly backed that designation up with a four-length conquest of the Glorious Song S. Runner-up in the Silverbulletday S., she fell off the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks...

Coinage (c, 2, Tapit--Bar of Gold, by Medaglia d'Oro) switched to grass in style with a wire-to-wire upset victory at 6-1 in Wednesday's GIII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga. The chestnut, drawn widest of all in post six, was sent to the front by Junior Alvarado. The New York-bred showed the way through fractions of :25.66 and :50.65, and had plenty left for the stretch to win going away by two lengths. Saratoga debut winner Portfolio Company (Kitten's Joy), a handful for Irad Ortiz, Jr. throughout the 1 1/16-miles journey,...

First Empire, fittingly trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, became the first stakes winner for freshman sire Classic Empire with a win in Saturday's Soaring Free S. at Woodbine. He dueled and tired to fifth in his debut over the all-weather July 4, then dueled free when switched to grass to graduate here Aug. 1. Backed as the second choice in this one, First Empire forced the issue from an outside second, began to shake clear rounding the far turn and gamely kept finding after switching to his left...

MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Got Stormy (Get Stormy), the only female winner of the GI Fourstardave H. when she won the race two years ago in stakes record time, found her best form Saturday to post a 12-1 upset in this year's running of the "Win and You're In" qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. Purchased off a fifth-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint by B. Wayne Hughes's Spendthrift Farm for $2.75 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale and then offered in microshare pieces via...

The contingent behind MGISW Got Stormy (Get Stormy) has been carefully monitoring the weather this week as the 6-year-old turf specialist prepares for her third appearance in Saratoga's GI Fourstardave H. Possible scattered overnight thunderstorms leading up to Saturday's card could soften the turf more than the fan-favorite mare would prefer. "For a horse named Got Stormy, she doesn't like much rain," her recently inducted Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said. "If the turf gets soft on Saturday, a mile is stretching her distance ability. We'll see what happens,...

On Wednesday, disgraced trainer Jorge Navarro pled guilty to one count of distribution of adulterated and misbranded drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead, a major development in the doping scandal that has rocked the sport since indictments were announced in March of 2020. Navarro will likely spend time in prison and has been ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $25,860,514. His career is over and he may be deported to his native Panama. But was this good day or bad day for the sport?  And what...