Mark Casse, a seven-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s outstanding trainer, will seek his first Breeders’ Cup win with a six-pack of starters in horse racing’s world championships set for October 30 – 31 at Keeneland Racecourse, in Lexington, Kentucky.
Casse, who captured his first Queen’s Plate in 2014 with Lexie Lou, would dearly love to win a Breeders’ Cup event.
“In our profession, it’s one of the ultimate goals,” said Casse of the year-end championship event. “Now that we’ve won The Queen’s Plate, the only other race I’d like to win more is the Kentucky Derby.”
The 54-year-old native of Indianapolis is a fixture at the top of the Woodbine trainer standings having topped the tables nine times including the last eight seasons in a row. He’s well on his way to a 10th title with 85 wins from 412 starts, well clear of Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Tiller who sits second with 62 victories for the meet.
Casse will saddle three starters on Friday and another three on Saturday as he looks to earn his first Breeders’ Cup win.
Through 23 Breeders’ Cup starts, Casse’s best finish is a pair of runner-up efforts. In 2008, Canadian-bred champion Sealy Hill, a 48-1 longshot with Patrick Husbands up, was in the lead in deep stretch but could not hold off Forever Together in the Filly and Mare Turf.
In 2013, Laugh Track, at 16-1 under Mike Smith, closed from out of the clouds to miss by a neck to Secret Circle in the Sprint.
On Friday, Casse sends out Airoforce, the 4-1 second choice in the Grade 1 $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Julien Leparoux takes the call on the Kentucky-bred son of Colonel John who is owned by John Oxley. The grey colt is undefeated through two starts and arrives at the one-mile turf tilt from a 2 1/2-length score over Juvenile Turf rival Camelot Kitten in the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes over a yielding Keeneland turf.
Airoforce will be joined in the Juvenile Turf by fellow Casse trainee Conquest Daddyo.
“I expect Airoforce to run really well, but the one that would be flying under the radar a little bit is ‘Daddyo’,” said Casse. “If the race sets up for him, he’s training well and has as good a shot as anybody.”
It would be fitting for Casse to earn his first Breeders’ Cup score with a Canadian-bred. The Scat Daddy colt, bred in Ontario by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, punched his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup with a 1 3/4-length score over Breeders’ Cup rivals Sky Marshal and Manhattan Dan in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes at Woodbine.
Casse was pleased with the energetic rally by Conquest Daddyo, engineered by jockey Joe Bravo, in his turf debut.
“I thought it was great. He showed a great turn of foot. I think he actually surprised Joe. I think if Joe knew how quickly he would accelerate, he probably would have waited a little while, but he ended up moving a little early. It was a very good effort,” said Casse.
A winner at first asking in a maiden allowance sprint, the Conquest Stables charge rallied to be second in the six furlong Vandal Stakes ahead of his first added-money try in the Summer Stakes, which earned a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I think it was not only the turf (that improved his speed figure), we always felt he wanted more ground. So, I think it was a combination of turf and distance, but there’s no question his turf race was very good,” said Casse.
Conquest Daddyo has breezed three times over the Keeneland dirt in preparation for the Juvenile Turf including a swift five-furlong effort in 1:00.80 on October 21.
“I was hoping we’d get to breeze on the turf, but they didn’t open the turf up until the last minute. He’s trained well on the dirt,” said Casse.
Casse sends out Catch a Glimpse, a chestnut daughter of City Zip, as the 5-1 third choice in Friday’s Grade 1 $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The Kentucky-bred filly earned a lofty 91 Beyer Speed figure while wiring the Grade 2 Natalma Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re in event held at Woodbine on September 12, by five lengths. Florent Geroux has the call.
On Saturday, Casse will saddle four-year-old filly Tepin (12-1) in the Grade 1 $2-million Breeders’ Cup Mile. Julien Leparoux will ride the Bernstein bay for owner Robert Masterson. A dual Grade 1 winner, with wins in the First Lady at Keeneland over soft going and in the Just a Game over good ground at Belmont Park, Tepin, is one of four females taking on the boys in a loaded grass test.
Should she prevail on Saturday, she will join a trio of legendary females who have accomplished winning the Mile, including Goldikova (2008-09-2010), Miesque (1988-89) and Royal Heroine (1984), since the race’s inaugural running in 1984.
“Tepin has been a joy for us all year. She has a lot of ability and she’s all heart. She gives you everything she’s got, every time, and you can’t ask for more than that,” said Casse.
The stormy weather at Keeneland this week should suit Tepin to a ‘T.’
“This is Tepin weather. She loves it. I’ll take the cold and rainy any day for Tepin,” said Casse, who just finished in a three-way tie for leading trainer honors at Keeneland’s fall meet.
Tepin earned a 108 Beyer number in her last-out winning effort on the Keeneland turf.
“She really likes this course,” said Casse. “Some horses don’t take to it because it’s just a little different.
“Over the years, I’ve had some horses that were really good turf horses that would run good and always had real consistent form, and then would come here and run terrible, and then run at Churchill and run well. It’s just the make-up of it. It’s got a lot of sand, I guess. There are definitely horses that won’t run on this turf course. But we know she will.”
Tepin narrowly missed a third Grade 1 score when second, defeated just a nose, to Canadian-bred mare Hard Not to Like in the Diana, a 1 1/8-mile turf event held July 25 at Saratoga.
“Tepin has been a joy for us all year long. She’ll run on anything or anywhere but she does not like the heat. When she ran at Saratoga, she was exhausted. But after her last race, she didn’t even take a deep breath. She was pretty well geared down in the last sixteenth of a mile,” said Casse.
The Breeders’ Cup Mile will feature a number of contenders familiar to Woodbine racing fans including Woodbine Mile champ Mondialiste and the Mile pacesetter Obviously who finished third in the Win and You’re In event on September 13. The Woodbine-based Grand Arch, a multiple graded stakes winner trained by Brian Lynch, is another viable longshot.
Casse will be represented in Saturday’s Grade 1 $2-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by the improving Conquest Big E. Listed at 30-1 on the morning line, the Tapit grey, owned by Conquest Stables, arrives at his first added-money test from a 2 1/4-length maiden score over a sloppy Keeneland track on October 2. A $700,000 yearling sale purchase, Conquest Big E has a license to improve. Shaun Bridgmohan will ride.
Siding Spring (30-1), a Kentucky-bred son of Warrior’s Reward, is first on the also eligible list in the 14-horse Juvenile. Luis Saez is named.
There will be four Breeders’ Cup races on Championship Friday and nine Breeders’ Cup races on Championship Saturday. Racing fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIBet.Com.
The Breeders’ Cup coverage will be available on HPItv and at all simulcast outlets on Friday and Saturday. TSN4 will have live coverage on Friday from 3pm-6pm and on Saturday on TSN2 from 1pm-6pm. On Saturday, NBC will have coverage from 4pm-6pm.
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