Mark Casse

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In the fall of every year, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is out on the recruiting trail. He looks for the best four-legged athletes he can find. He goes to Lexington to seek out young talent. If Thursday's sixth race at Saratoga Race Course-- a $100,000 maiden special weight at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf--is any indication, coach Casse may have found a couple of  blue chippers at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Tracy Farmer's Abientot (Not This Time) finished strongly to...

5th-Ellis, $70,913, Msw, 7-7, 2yo, 1mT, 1:34.25, fm, 1/2 length. SING SING (c, 2, Tiz the Law--Galileo's Melody, by Galileo {Ire}), trying the turf and a mile for the first time, went wire-to-wire to graduate by a half-length at Ellis Park Sunday. The bay broke on top from the rail and took the field through fractions of :23.24 and :46.31. He opened up a clear lead at midstretch and held off the late-charging Giocoso (Not This Time) to become the third winner for GI Belmont Stakes victor Tiz the Law...

Signaling the beginning of the 2024 Thoroughbred season, Colonial Downs's barn area will open on Monday, June 24 with training scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 27, the track said in a press release on Friday. Multiple leading trainer Mike Stidham and Hall of Fame conditioner Mark Casse are among the trainers preparing to return to the Tidewater track. The latter put in a successful debut meet where he won 10 races, which included Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}). The Canadian Horse of the Year took home the GI Beverly...

OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training got a late boost from its supplemental section when a colt by Uncle Mo brought the top price of $375,000 during Friday's final session of the three-day auction. The 2024 June sale concluded with numbers just a tick off the sale's 2023 renewal. A total of 582 2-year-olds grossed $21,386,800 during the three-day auction, with the average of $36,747 down 2.2% from last year's figure and the median held at $20,000. Ramon Morales purchased Friday's session...

After 20 inches of rain fell in Hallandale Beach, Florida Wednesday, Gulfstream Park officials have had to move around 300 horses from the lower barns, barns 1-11, as horses were standing in more than foot-deep water in their stalls. The horses are being moved to higher barns at Gulfstream and to the Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center, located north of Gulfstream in Boynton Beach, Florida. 1/ST Racing via a press release on Thursday said their Friday program would be cancelled. "We are in the process of moving the lower barn...

Last year, My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) secured top honors as the Sovereign Award winner for the best 2-year-old colt north of the border after he was the runner-up in the GI bet365 Summer S.  in Toronto and third in the GI Prevagen Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita. The 3-year-old had a tough start to this year's campaign as he finished eighth in the Palisades S. at Keeneland Apr. 7, but he returned home to rebound with a 6 3/4-length win May 19. Backed to the hilt at...

1st-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 12:45p.m. SALTED (Tapit) debuts for Gary Barber, Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbreds and trainer Mark Casse. A $760,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, the Don Alberto Corp.- bred filly is out of GI La Troienne S. scorer Salty (Quality Road), who brought $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in 2018. Irad Ortiz Jr. gets the mount. Also marking her career bow, Adeera (Authentic), a $300,000 KEESEP yearling purchase for L and N Racing and Jerry Caroom, is trained by Steve Asmussen and will be...

My Boy Prince, Canada's champion 2-year-old colt of 2023 and a leading King's Plate fancy, returned to the winner's circle with an authoritative victory in the King Corrie S. at Woodbine Sunday. Second in last year's GI Summer S. and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, the heavy favorite was returning to the synthetic surface for the first time since dominating in the Simcoe S. at Woodbine last August. He attended the pace of Maximus Magic (Maximus Mischief) through fractions of :24.38 and :47.82, took charge approaching the...

Bidding has opened on Fasig-Tipton Digital for the "Mensa Flash Sale," a one-horse online auction of Mensa (Complexity), a debut-winning 2-year-old colt who was the first winner for his freshman sire. Bidding will close Monday, April 29, at 2 PM ET. Trained by Mark Casse for owner D.J. Stable LLC, Mensa won by three lengths going gate-to-wire in his debut at Gulfstream Park April 12. Mensa is scheduled to make his next start in the Kentucky Juvenile S. at Churchill Downs May 2. "Mensa earned a 9 Thoromanager figure in...

The owner of a pair of Grade I wins on turf in North America last year, Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) took home Horse of the Year honors at Thursday evening's 49th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony hosted by the Jockey Club of Canada. Fev Rover, who won the GI Beverly D. S. at Colonial Downs and the GI E.P. Taylor S. at Woodbine, is trained by Mark Casse. The Canadian and U.S. Hall of Famer once again collected hardware as he was awarded his 13th consecutive Sovereign and 16th overall...

2nd-Gulfstream, $62,700, Msw, 4-12, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :51.86, ft, 3 lengths. MENSA (c, 2, Complexity--Lady Halite, by Medaglia d'Oro) broke very well from his rail spot to take an easy lead in this unveiling. Never challenged through :22.07 and :45.66 splits, Patrick Husbands only had to keep his mount focused in the lane as the pair came home three lengths best over the filly Unchained Elaine (American Pharoah). Mensa is the first winner for his freshman sire (by Maclean's Music). "He's been extremely professional from day one," said Nick Tomlinson,...

Set, an impressive 5 3/4-length debut winner over the Gulfstream lawn Feb. 24, went two-for-two over this course and distance with a 1 1/4-length victory in the Cutler Bay S. at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Sent off the 3-5 favorite, the chestnut colt was taken in hand and tugged his way along in a stalking second behind pacesetting longshot King Julien (Kingman {GB}) through fractions of :24.14 and :47.83. He strode to the lead approaching the stretch and held sway late as Double Your Money and Salvattore Prince chased him home....