Ashley's Archer, My Boy Prince and Casse Canadian Update

King’s Plate contender ASHLEY’S ARCHER will be in action when the prestigious Keeneland meeting opens this week in Lexington, KY. The son of Karakontie (Jpn), recently second in a dirt allowance race at Tampa Bay Downs, is being pointed to another race on the main track.

Trainer MARK CASSE updated Canadian Thoroughbred on some of his stars from Canada and some 20 horses that just arrived at Woodbine had workouts on the main track Tapeta last week.

Ashley’s Archer, owned by Gary Barber and Archer Racing, worked on the dirt at Churchill Downs on Saturday, four furlongs in 48.80.

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Champion and 2024 Sovereign Award finalist MY BOY PRINCE has been buzzing along in workouts at Casse’s training centre. He sped four furlongs in 48.20 on Mar. 28.

“I haven’t decided where he is going to run just yet,” said Casse. “You want to see how the three-year-olds from a year ago have grown up to their four-year-old year.” My Boy Prince won the Plate Trial, Queenston and King Corrie Stakes last year and then ran a super race when second in the King’s Plate.

SHIFTY, a contender for this year’s Woodbine Oaks, had a good breeze at Casse’s training centre last week, three furlongs in 35.90. Another Canadian-bred three-year-old, stakes winner SOUPER SUPREME, is back at Woodbine and she has already recorded a workout. STORMCAST, a finalist in multiple categories at the Sovereign Awards for 2024, is also back on track for the new year.

The ageless champion FILO DI ARIANNA (Brz), who is now nine years old, has had a number of workouts in Florida and could be seen in a turf sprint stakes race at Churchill Downs. The chestnut gelding won two Sovereign Awards in 2022 and could win another for 2024 as Turf Male.

One horse that Casse said was still a fair way from returning is 2023 King’s Plate winner PARAMOUNT PRINCE, a finalist for Champion Older Male Main Track 2024.

Casse will have a new resident at his Florida farm soon in 2021 Tampa Bay Derby winner HELIUM, who will retire at the farm. Helium raced for D.J. Stable and won his maiden race and Display Stakes at Woodbine before winning the Tampa Bay Derby. The gelding placed more than a dozen times in races since that big win, but never won again. He was claimed for $32,000 from D.J. Stable in 2023 and continued to drop in class.

On March 25 at Parx, John Servis claimed Helium on behalf of D.J. Stable for $5,000 from Jamie Ness.

Jonathan Green of D.J. Stable posted on ‘X’, “@DJ_Stable is proud to announce that ’21 TB Derby winner & KY Derby runner HELIUM is now retired. Thanks to John Servis, @tyler_servis @markecasse for providing Helium with his forever home. Welcome to FL retirement big guy – hope you like pickleball & eating dinner at 4pm.”