Casse’s trio take aim at Grade 3 Royal North triumph
Mark Casse trainees Bessie Abott (IRE), Shifty and Without Cause all head into Saturday’s $150,000 HPIbet Royal North Stakes (G3T) in winning form.
Set for 7 ½ furlongs on the Woodbine inner turf, the Royal North has drawn 11 starters and one also-eligible in the race for fillies and mares, four-year-olds and up.
Sired by Kuroshio out of the Invincible Spirit mare Supreme Spirit, Bessie Abott (IRE) brings a two-race win streak into her first start of the year and first stakes test at the Toronto oval.
A runner-up in the 2025 edition of the Wonder Again (G3) at Saratoga, the bay filly won a 7-furlong main track race originally slated for the turf on Oct. 23 at Woodbine. She followed it up with a nose score over the same distance and same surface on Nov. 29.
“She has had time off over the winter, so she is fresh and we think she is ready,” said assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan. “We thought she was very, very impressive last year. Both efforts were strong and she showed a great deal of determination in each race.”
Owned by Gary Barber and Team Valor International LLC, the four-year-old sports a mark of 3-3-0 from eight starts, along with $178,018 in purse earnings.
“She isn’t a very big filly, but that may play to her strength running on the inner turf,” said Sullivan. “She is definitely one who goes out and gives you an honest effort and that’s what we are anticipating on Saturday.”
Without Cause and jockey Rafael Hernandez winning Race 9 on June 6, 2025 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo)
A half-sister to stakes winner Spirit and Glory (IRE), Bessie Abott (IRE) was bred by Dr. Noel Cogan and Patrick Williams. Errol Farquharson is the groom.
Shifty sports a 4-3-4 mark ($385,638 in career purse earnings) from 14 engagements. She has finished in the top three over her past nine engagements, going 3-3-3 during that time. She heads into the Royal North off a pair of victories, both on the main track, one at 6 ½ furlongs on Apr. 25, the other at 6 panels on May 31, winning by a combined 7 ¾ lengths.
“She is just so consistent,” said Sullivan of the 4-year-old. “Every time she goes out there, you know exactly what to expect. She just gives that 100 per cent effort you look for. We couldn’t be happier with her.
“Both wins were extremely impressive. If you had to pick one that stood out more – that’s a tough call – but maybe the most recent one, where she just did it so easily. She continued to open up, which was so nice to watch.”
Owned by D.J. Stable LLC, the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro out of the Elusive Quality mare Elusive Luci debuted over the E.P. Taylor turf on July 4, 2024, and showed late energy after a slow start to finish fifth in a field of seven. One race later, on Aug. 23, she took all the spoils via a 3 ¼-length score in the Catch A Glimpse.
After winning her three-year-old debut on May 11, 2025, Shifty was third, one month later, in the seven-furlong Fury Stakes for three-year-old fillies foaled in Canada. She finished second in both the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks and the 1 1/16-mile Bison City Stakes. She then switched to the grass in the final Canadian Triple Tiara race, the 1 1/16-mile Wonder Where, where she was third over the inner turf.
Bred by Anderson Farms Ontario Inc., Shifty sold for $350,000 at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. Wayne Grant is the groom.
Without Cause, a five-year-old daughter of Omaha Beach out of the Tiznow mare Withhold, will make her third appearance at Woodbine for Ironhorse Racing Stable LLC and T-N-T Equine Holdings LLC.
Last year, the bay mare raced twice on the E.P. Taylor turf, winning at 6 furlongs on June 7, and finishing second, a head back of the winner, at the same distance on July 19.
After a sixth to kick off her 2026 campaign in the 5-furlong Ladies’ Turf Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream on Feb. 7, Without Cause rebounded with a gritty neck victory at 6 furlongs over the Belmont outer turf on May 17.
“She is a beautiful filly, lovely in every sense,” praised Sullivan. “She worked hard to get the win last time out and it showed exactly what she is all about.”
Fashioning a mark of 3-2-2 from 12 starts, accompanied by $171,739 in purse earnings, Without Cause was bred in Kentucky by Stoneway Farm. She was a $180,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale. Errol Farquharson is the groom.
The Casse trio will line up beside one another in the starting gate, with Bessie Abott (IRE) in gate three, Shifty in four and Without Cause in five.
Recent works: Bessie Abott (IRE) covered 5 furlongs in 1:00.20 over the main track on June 17.
“That was a really, really nice work,” said Sullivan. “She worked with Classic Move, who is running the Selene on Saturday. “We were all very impressed by that work. She galloped out strongly, too.”
On June 20, Shifty breezed 4 furlongs in :48.40 over the main track. “She worked by herself and it was a good work,” said Sullivan. “It was just a nice maintenance work, exactly what we were looking for heading into this race. She always does things so professionally and takes on anything you ask of her.”
Without Cause breezed 4 furlongs in a bullet :46.60 over the main track on June 17. “She went on her own,” said Sullivan. “She did it well, too. She had worked at Belmont, over the dirt training track, prior to this work. We were happy with it and we’re happy with how she is coming into the race.”
Fast Facts: Blushing Katy, under Gunnar Lindberg, won the inaugural running in 1989.
The race is named after the daughter of Reviewer out of the Titan mare Repercussion. Over 18 races, Royal North, trained by Gil Rowntree and bred by Marvin L. Warner, went 14-3-1. She won seven straight races from August 27, 1978, to May 20, 1979.
Wagering menu for the Royal North: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / $1 Swinger.
Field for the $150,000 Royal North (G3T)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Equitas – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Mike De Paulo
2 – Fantastical – Jose Campos – Joe Sharp
3 – Bessie Abott (IRE) – Fraser Aebly – Mark Casse
4 – Shifty – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
5 – Without Cause – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse
6 – Ribaltagaia – Romero Ramsay Maragh – Graham Motion
7 – Pondering – Declan Cannon – Brendan Walsh
8 – Reagan’s Flame (S) – Rasheed Hughes – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
9 – Ozara (IRE) – Pietro Moran – Miguel Clement
10 – Scat Girl – Leo Salles – Mike De Paulo
11 – Uphill Dance – Ryan Munger – Rachel Halden
AE 12 – Quadruple (GB) – Kazushi Kimura – Josie Carroll
***
Inner turf talent Miss Vyvyanne ready for Grade 2 Highlander test
Miss Vyvyanne will look to make it five consecutive wins on the Woodbine inner turf when she takes on six rivals in Saturday’s $200,000 bet365 Highlander Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine.
Owned by Ralph R. Murray and Calstar Farm, the 6-year-old daughter of Rainbow Heir out of the Half Ours mare Caribean Beat has shown a flair for running on the Toronto oval’s inner turf course, claiming four straight scores on it.
The Gail Cox trainee launched that win streak with a pair of 5-furlong scores last June and followed those up with victories in August and October, also at 5 panels.
Miss Vyvyanne will once again race at the same distance on Saturday in the race for 4-year-olds and up.
“I think it’s the sharper turns [on the inner] that she enjoys,” said Cox. “She handles them so well, she kicks away down the lane and the stretch is shorter. So, when you put all those factors together, I think it just suits her in every way possible. She truly is a five-eighths horse. Could she go longer if she had to? If the set-up was right, I’m sure she could, but she thrives at five-eighths on the smaller turf courses. She has a very efficient stride on the turf.”
Claimed for $32,000 last June by Cox and Murray out of her second consecutive victory against optional claiming fillies at Woodbine, Miss Vyvyane was then fifth against second condition, $50,000 optional claiming filles on the main track on Aug. 31. She then rhymed off four consecutive wins, including a 2 ¾-length victory going 5 furlongs on the Gulfstream synthetic on Mar. 14.
“We’ve been very conservative with where we’ve run her, but I felt she was moving better when we got her to Florida. She just kept on improving from there.”
Miss Vyvyanne capped off her quartet of winner’s circle trips with a 1 ½-length triumph in the Golden Beach overnight handicap at Gulfstream on Apr.11. She covered 5 furlongs over ‘good’ turf in :55.52.
“She ran huge in Florida,” praised Cox. “She loves the track there. We had sent her home for a vacation when the turf season ended here at Woodbine, and she came back better than ever.”
The chestnut mare arrives at her first graded assignment off a second to Little Teddy, who won the 2025 Sovereign Award as Canada’s Champion Female Sprinter, in a 5-furlong main track race on May 9.
“She’s doing great,” said Cox. “When you watch her run, you don’t think she is going as fast as she is. The one thing you always get with her is an honest effort. She is a great example of a horse who tries no matter where she runs.”
Bred in Florida by Tom McCrocklin and Gerald Martin, Miss Vyvyanne is 11-3-1 ($420,431) from 24 starts. Carlos Balbuena is the groom.
Recent works: Miss Vyvyanne breezed 4 furlongs in :51.60 over the Woodbine turf training track on June 12. One week later, she covered 4 furlongs on the main track in :47.40.
“We had an easy maintenance work on the grass,” said Cox. “There wasn’t a race for her and you don’t have to train her very hard at all. We would have worked on the turf again, but it was cancelled, so we worked her on the main track. That was a bigger work and she handled it like a pro.
“She’s great in the mornings, very easy to deal with. She would want to train hard if you let her, but she’s just so easy to work with and just seems to get everything. She’s very sensible.”
Fast Facts: Sid Attard won three straight editions of the Highlander, with Signature Red in 2010 and 2011, and Smokey Fire in 2012.
Wagering menu for the Highlander: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 7-8-9) / 0.20 Pick 5 (Races 7-8-9-10-11) / $1 Swinger / $5 All Stakes Pick 3 (Races 7-9-10) ***15 % Take out***
Field for the Highlander (G2T)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Miss Vyvyanne – Pietro Moran – Gail Cox
2 – G T Five Hundred – Jose Campos – Dale Desruisseaux
3 – Foxtrotanna – David Moran – Sid Attard
4 – Outlaw Kid – Sahin Civaci – George Weaver
5 – Western Whirl – Fraser Aebly – Stuart Simon
6 – Golden Afternoon – Rafael Hernandez – Nicholas Vaccarezza
7 – Ready to Collect – Jason Hoyte – Roger Broomes
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