Grade 3 Grey and Mazarine Stakes Filled By Casse Fillies

Two graded stakes races for 2-year-olds at Woodbine on November 26 each drew three promising fillies from leading trainer Mark Casse. The trio, stakes-placed FOREVER DIXIE and impressive maiden winners RENEGADE REBEL and RYDER RYDER RYDER, have been entered in both 1 1/16 mile races on Tapeta worth $150,000.

Just four males were entered in the Grey Stakes, quite a famous race that was inaugurated in 1906, named for Governor General Earl Grey. The race was not run for three years in the early 1900s due to World War I and not run in 2020 when poor weather cancelled half of the Woodbine card. Three Grey Stakes winners went on to win the Kentucky Derby – Dancer’s Image in 1967, Sunny’s Halo (1982) and Mine That Bird (2009). The last two Grey winners to go on to win the following year’s Queen’s Plate were Wando (2003) and Kennedy Road (1970).

The Grey Stakes is race 3 on Saturday and one of the males entered is the undefeated HAL (Accelerate – Purely a Dream by Pure Prize) who won the Display Stakes at seven furlongs in his second career race for owner/breeders Lantern Hill Farm (Suzi Shoemaker) and FirstCorp Thoroughbreds (Daniel Pyper). Trained by Darwin Banach, Hal posted a hefty 84 Beyer Speed Figure in his Display win under rider Justin Stein.

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Hal is bred top and bottom for route distances (his dam won the Grade 3 Bourbonette Stakes on synthetic at one mile at Turfway Park) and he could have only three or four rivals to defeat on Saturday. The other colts entered are Mo Tourist, an Ontario-bred by Tourist who won his maiden by 5 1/2 lengths at 1 1/16 miles for Al and Bill Ulwelling on Oct. 30, One Bay Hemingway (Danger Bay), a maiden winner at one mile on turf and Gulfstream Park invader Bluebirds Over, a debut winner by 8 lengths on Nov. 5 for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

It is possible that Renegade Rebel, a $700,000 juvenile purchase and Kentucky-bred daughter of Nyquist owned by D J Stable LLC, will compete in the Mazarine rather than the Grey as her rider, Rafael Hernandez, is named on her for the Mazarine but not the Grey.

Forever Dixie, a large daughter of Quality Road from Prince of Wales Stakes winner Dixie Strike, was a closing second in the Glorious Song Stakes and would be a contender in either the Grey or Mazarine. Ryder Ryder Ryder, a $600,000 yearling purchase also by Quality Road, won her seven furlong debut by a length at odds on.

The Mazarine was first run in 1965 at Greenwood racetrack and Casse has won the race a record 8 times. The race was not run in 2020 as poor weather caused most of the Woodbine card to be canceled. Fab fillies to have won the Mazarine include Woodbine Oaks/Queen’s Plate winners Wonder Gadot (2017) and Jammed Lovely (1964) and other champions Ruling Angel and Bessarabian.

In addition to the three Casse fillies, the Mazarine has a competitive field which includes US invaders PEACOCK LASS, a quick filly from Kentucky who is adding Lasix and is trained by Rodolphe Brisset, and HONOR D LADY, an Honor Code filly coming off a 7 1/2 length win at Gulfstream who is also adding Lasix.

Collect Dattt, trained by Kevin Attard and State of Mind, trained by Jozie Carroll, complete the field.