The Saratoga Conversation: Mark Casse

Mark Casse has had plenty of good horses in his career. His favorite is not all that surprising. He has had an audience with one of the most iconic people the world has ever seen. He is one of a select few to have been elected into Racing Hall of Fames in the U.S. and Canada. What does he do when he has a little down time? What's the deal with Tom Cruise? Read more in this week's Saratoga Conversation to find out.

TDN: Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe you have won 16 Sovereign Awards as leading trainer in Canada.

MC: Yes. Sixteen.

TDN: And 13 in a row?

MC: Maybe (smiles).

TDN: Those are some pretty solid numbers. What does it mean to you?

MC: In the beginning, I used to wonder when the Yankees won the World Series a few years in a row, I said, 'what motivates you?' And I would say after winning 16, what motivates me is not losing.

TDN: So, it's a quest now.

MC: Of course. About two years ago, I came pretty close to losing it for the first time in a long time. And I said, 'well, that's not going to happen again.'

TDN: This is something you want to dominate.

MC: Well, I don't want to lose it. And I have to dominate it because it's human nature. The voters want to give it to somebody else.

TDN: It's like the Yankees. People root against them because they win.

MC: I have a lot of people who root against me in Canada. Of course.

TDN: You are the evil empire of Canada.

MC: I would not want to be described that way … obviously a lot of people don't like me, but they would like to be me.

TDN: There is respect there.

MC: I would hope so.

TDN: In addition to being in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, you are also in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame here. I think there are three others –Roger Attfield, Lucien Lauren and Horatio Luro.

MC: Very good group.

TDN: I remember you telling the story where you were at the (U.S.) Hall of Fame with your dad and you said you were going to be in there one day.

MC: I was 12. And he said, 'I know you will.'  Horses, horse racing have been my entire life. If that is your life, what is it you want to be? You want to be in the Hall of Fame because the Hall of Fame says that you weren't good one year, you weren't good two years, you were good over a long period of time. To get into the Hall of Fame, not only do you have to be good for 25 years, but you have to stay out of trouble, too. Not everyone can do that.

TDN: Your career is still going, but, so far, what has been your proudest achievement?

MC: The Hall of Fame would be No. 1. One horse, one race? It would be Tepin winning the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot (in 2016) just because it's so difficult to do. We have won Triple Crown races (2019 Preakness with War of Will, 2019 Belmont with Sir Winston), we've won six Breeders' Cup races … but to go over and win and beat them at their own game … We have some horses that go to Europe, but they haven't had as much luck lately at Royal Ascot. We have beat them sprinting, but I don't know if sprinting is their forte. We beat them at their own game, which shows you how great Tepin was.

Tepin | Sarah Andrew

TDN: You look at the roster you have had. Tepin, World Approval, Classic Empire, War of Will, Fev Rover … just to name a few. Is there a favorite?

MC: Nah. There's not a favorite. They are all your kids. When we won the Belmont with Sir Winston, my wife (Tina) said, 'smile! You have to smile.'  It was hard. I was excited and happy for the (owners Tracey and Carol) Farmers and to win the Belmont is a great feat, but you have to remember they are our kids. One kid (Sir Winston) achieved greatness that day and the other kid (War of Will, who was ninth) was a failure. Just think about it. You are happy for the one that achieved greatness, but you feel bad for the one that didn't. I run a lot of horses in a lot of races– big races–and a lot of times I run multiple ones. We won seven races a couple weeks ago (at multiple tracks) and four stakes and my focus was on the ones that lost. It's a bad thing, but it's what I do.

TDN: So, you smiled at the Belmont, right?

MC: I smiled. Because my wife told me to. I listen to her.

TDN: Favorite race track.

MC: I am going to say, right here. Saratoga. And it's been my Achilles heel on many occasions. This is where I have a lot of memories with my dad (the late Norman Casse Sr., who started the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. in 1974 and served as the organization's chairman for 27 years). Churchill would be a close second.

TDN: Where is Woodbine?

MC: Woodbine would probably be third. Now, if you talk about a training facility, there is no place better to train than Woodbine for so many reasons. But as far as where do I want to win? Right here.

TDN: Everyone's watching.

MC: You got it.

TDN: I know that you love to golf, and you love to fish. If you can only pick one, which one are you doing?

MC: I like golf. When I am in Ocala, I wake up at 4 (a.m.) and I play 18 holes on my golf simulator from 4-5. And then I make breakfast for my wife and son (Colby) and I go to work. I usually play a par 3. I shot 10-under one day. I had a hole-in-one at 4:38 in the morning (laughs).

TDN: Did you smile then?

MC: Oh, yeah. I enjoy that. And we watch horses train. I get videos all morning long. We have this thing I call the VLL–the Video Lameness Locator. Anytime any of my assistants anywhere have an issue, they run this App. You jog the horse, and it takes about a minute. It gets uploaded and it goes to a computer in Stockholm, Sweden. The computer analyzes 100 key points in the horse's stride and, within three minutes, I will have the results.

TDN: Modern technology.

MC: My Boy Prince has already been sent to me and he's the favorite for the King's Plate. He breezed (Thursday morning) and, at 6 a.m., it showed me how he was.

TDN: You have a pond at your farm in Ocala.

MC: I have two ponds.

TDN: Whenever you catch a fish, you always throw it back, right?

MC: Always. I have an older pond that has been there 20 some years and I have a newer pond. I told my wife I was going to build a little pond and she came out and said, 'I thought this was supposed to be little!' It's deeper. Our old pond is only about five feet deep. Our new one is, in some spots, 20 feet deep. If I catch a big bass in the small pond, I carry him over and put him in the big pond so he can grow.

TDN: You don't name your fish, do you?

MC: Nah! You know what? I have a wonderful life. We have ducks that are there every day. We have a set of geese that come every year, have their babies. They will bring their babies back the next year and then they will run them off and they'll have more. We have three right now. We have baby ducks. I enjoy that.

TDN: It truly is an animal farm.

MC: Yeah. It is. I am fortunate. I live in paradise. I can walk to work. I can go and fish in the front yard. And I can hit (golf) shots 150 yards to a green or I can go my golf simulator. I need these things because my day is so full that I could not go and do those things.

TDN: I ask two questions to everyone. One is, if there was a movie made about your life and you can pick the actor to play you, who are you picking?

MC: I don't know. Maybe, simply because of his size, Tom Cruise. We are pretty much the same age. He's not very tall (he is 5′ 7″). I am 5′ 5″. He has dark hair, and I don't have any hair anymore. I am going with Tom Cruise.

TDN: The other one question is if you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be?

MC: My dad. JFK. And I loved the Queen (Elizabeth II). She was amazing. Loved horses. I got to meet her.

TDN: What was that like?

MC: It's a bit of a funny story. When we had Tepin, after she won (at Royal Ascot) I did so many interviews. An hour went by. And I said, 'when do I get to meet the Queen?' And they said, 'you missed her.' I was like, 'you've got to be kidding me!' The next day I did an interview for the “Racing Post.” They asked with the success I have had, would I come back. I said, 'only if I get to meet the Queen.'  I didn't know that she read the “Racing Post.” It just happened that the next year, we ran a horse. We were in our box, and we were going to run at about 2:30 (p.m.). At 1, a representative of the Queen showed up and said the Queen would like to meet you. Wow! Tina, Colby and I went there. You have to understand, I have to go saddle this horse. I don't have a lot of time. We are talking, and she keeps talking and we're talking and talking and talking. I am thinking, 'I am going to miss going to saddle this horse.' Her representative said, 'Your majesty, he has to go saddle his horse.' And she goes, “Oh! Tally-ho! Off you go!' And that was it. Colby, who was 12 at the time, said, 'dad, were you nervous?' I said, 'not really.' He said, 'my knees were shaking!'

War of Will | Claiborne

TDN: Favorite horse racing movie.

MC: I have to go with “Seabiscuit.' For sure. Gary (Barber, one of his owners) produced it.

TDN: That would be the right answer for you. What is your favorite holiday?

MC: Christmas. The kids come around. Memories from when I was young with my mom and my dad. I was born on Valentine's Day. Poor Tina takes a whipping on Valentine's Day because it's my birthday.

TDN: Favorite go-to meal.

MC: My wife is a very, very good cook. I like steak and potatoes. I am pretty easy. She is amazing. We eat at home all the time.

TDN: A horse trainer is not your typical job. When is the last time you had a vacation?

MC: I made myself. It was the beginning of December, I got all the kids and grandkids, girlfriends and husbands and wives and Tina and I rented a big house. We all met, and it was near St Petersburg, Fla. And everybody got sick. We've talked about it. Tina and I would like to go to Europe. The problem is the only time we can go is December because we've got the Breeders' Cup. It's not easy.

TDN: To do this job, you have to be all in.

MC: Yes. I try to take one day up here to catch up and, usually, it's on a Tuesday. I would say my day consists of 30 phone calls and 100 texts. Every day. On the weekends, we run all over so that is a very busy time for us. Monday and Tuesday, everyone (owner) that did not have a horse run over the weekend is catching up with me.

TDN: How many horses do you have all over the place?

MC: Right now, racing at the track, we have 160, 170.

TDN: How do you keep track of them?

MC: I have a pretty good system. I have 10 people that have been with me 30 years.

TDN: If you had five stalls open at this barn and you could put five horses from history in them, who would they be? But none of them could be yours.

MC: Good question. I guess Secretariat. Flightline. I think Flightline might be the best horse I ever saw run. American Pharoah was a heckuva horse. I would have loved to have Desert Vixen (Eclipse Award-winning filly at age 3 and 4) because (owner) Mr. (Harry) Mangurian was a big part of my life and that was his big filly. And I will go with Dr. Fager.

TDN: Pretty good starting five. Favorite sport other than horse racing.

MC: It comes and goes, but golf. I watch it. Play it. I like poker, too.

TDN: Do you play?

MC: I do.

TDN: Do you have a poker face?

MC: Probably.

TDN: You are pretty good at it.

MC: I have won big tournaments. About 30 years ago, Harry Mangurian told me that this sport is going to take off. This was (Texas) Hold 'Em. He would take me to Vegas when I was working with him, and I played out there and then I stopped playing. OBS recently got a card room. During the week, sometimes I'll go over and play. They call me Computer Man because I always have my computer doing work. I can't go for three hours and not do work. That's why golf is very hard for me. If I do it, then I am in the middle of the night doing my work and I'm tired.

TDN: Do you watch TV?

MC: Not much. We like the “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.”  My favorite movie? “The American President.”

TDN: You can't imagine yourself doing anything but this.

MC: No. Because it's all I have ever done. Always wanted to do this.