Woodbine’s Five Furlongs With Katerina Vassilieva: The Truth Is Out There

Each week until opening day of the 2022 Woodbine Thoroughbred meet, a familiar name in the sport will be in the spotlight, answering some fun, offbeat questions, giving readers a unique perspective into their personality.

Katerina Vassilieva's connection with horses began at the age of 11. After finishing her Master's degree in genetics, she made the decision to pursue a career in Thoroughbred racing. Vassilieva, who worked as a hotwalker, groom, exercise rider and assistant trainer, earned her trainer's license since 2011. Her home base is Woodbine, but she has campaigned successfully at several racetracks throughout the United States, including Gulfstream Park, Keeneland and Belmont Park. Her biggest star to date is Big Bazinga, who followed the Kentucky Derby trail in 2014 and gave Vassilieva the opportunity to compete in some of North America's most prestigious graded races. The multiple stakes winning trainer posted a 20 per cent win average in 2016 and a 25 per cent strike rate in 2020.

You get to the chance to be on a TV show, past or present. Which one is it and why?

“The X-Files was my favorite show growing up as a kid. Before becoming a horse trainer, I wanted to be a forensic scientist, so I really enjoyed that show because it was all about forensics, detectives and solving mysteries. That's the show I would definitely want to be on.”

What music genre gets you on the dance floor?

“I like to listen to electronic dance music, club music, essentially. I think people might be surprised that I listen to that, but I find it's very upbeat and brings my mood up. I've enjoyed that type of music since I was young. I haven't been on the dance floor lately, but I think my moves are pretty good.”

What is your food weakness?

“That's easy… cakes and pastries. Anything sweet, really. I have a huge sweet tooth. Cakes or pastries, I'll never say no. Same with donuts. Just to be humble, I might turn them down, but secretly, I would eat them.”

Other than the Queen's Plate, what's your must-see race on the Woodbine racing calendar?

“Personally speaking, I always look forward to the Grey Stakes because I had that horse Big Bazinga and he ran second in that race (in 2013). It gave us 10 points and it kickstarted our hope of running in the Kentucky Derby. That's a really exciting race for me because those are the horses that may end up running in the Derby down the line.”

Would you rather call a race or guest host as a racing analyst?

“I would definitely choose racing analyst over race caller. I don't know how race callers do what they do. Thinking on the fly like that and doing it so quickly, it's just amazing. It really is incredible how race callers are able to remember all those names and talk about their order in the race. So, I'd opt for racing analyst because I'd have more time to think about what I'd say and more time to do research so that it would sound like I knew what I was talking about.”

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God Of Love Will Try To Transfer Tapeta Form To Dirt In Withers

Canadian-bred graded stakes-winner God of Love will look to transfer his good form from Tapeta to dirt when he ships to Aqueduct Racetrack for the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers on Feb. 5.

The nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds is the next local prep on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, awarding the top-four finishers 10-4-2-1 qualifying points toward the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs.

Eclipse Thoroughbreds and Gary Barber's God of Love, trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, is already a stakes winner over turf and Tapeta in only four starts. Two starts after capturing the Cup and Saucer in October on the Woodbine turf, the chestnut colt provided his young sire Cupid with a first graded stakes winner when taking the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Grey on Nov. 28 on the Woodbine Tapeta.

“He's a pretty good horse. If he can have the same type of form on dirt that he does on the synthetic, he'll be a force. In his last race, he ran a 4.5 Thorograph number, which puts you right there,” Casse said.

One start prior to the Grey, God of Love finished a troubled fifth in the nine-furlong Coronation Futurity on the Woodbine Tapeta after having to steady several times.

“He was the favorite in his start before the Grey and I awarded him worst trip of the year of any horse I ran last year,” Casse said. “It was a terrible, terrible trip. He checked about three or four times.”

God of Love joined Casse's winter division at Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, where he has worked three times since the Grey. The Withers will be God of Love's first race outside of his native Canada.

“I think he'll end up being champion 2-year-old in Canada. The reason I sent him to Toronto was because he was a Canadian-bred,” Casse said.

Bred in Ontario by William D. Graham, God of Love is out of the Three Wonders mare No Wonder, a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Weemissfrankie, who also produced Canadian-bred stakes-winner Muskoka Wonder.

God of Love was a $100,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale, where he was consigned by Golden Thoroughbreds Training and Sales.

Other probable candidates for the Withers include Courvoisier, Smarten Up and Cooke Creek – the top-three finishers of the Jerome – as well as January 2 maiden winner Constitutionlawyer.

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God of Love First Graded Winner for Cupid

God of Love closed stoutly to give freshman sire Cupid (Tapit) his first graded victory in the GIII Grey S. at Woodbine Sunday. The chestnut colt broke from the outside and was caught five wide into the first turn while racing towards the back of the field. He had one horse beaten down the backstretch behind an opening quarter in :24.42 and a half in :49.58, but he began inching closer approaching the far turn. Caught wide once again turning for home, God of Love stormed into contention at the top of the lane and strode effortlessly to the lead in the final strides for an authoritative victory.

God of Love broke his maiden in the Cup and Saucer S. over the Woodbine lawn Oct. 10, but was mired in traffic before closing to finish fifth as the favorite over the Tapeta in the Coronation Futurity last time out Oct. 30.

Pedigree Notes:

No Wonder, also the dam of 2018 Clarendon S. winner Muskoka Wonder (Into Mischief), has a weanling filly by Where's the Ring and was bred back to Ami's Holiday. The mare is a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Weemissfrankie (Sunriver) and to graded placed Stop Smiling (It's No Joke).

The late breeder William Graham purchased No Wonder, in foal to Into Mischief, for $53,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton February sale. In foal to Good Samaritan, No Wonder sold for $25,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale.

Winner of the 2017 GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita, Cupid is also the sire of two-time stakes winner The Sky Is Falling and graded placed Desert Dawn.

Sunday, Woodbine
GREY S.-GIII, C$174,800, Woodbine, 11-28, 2yo, 1 1/16m (AWT), 1:44.20, ft.
1–GOD OF LOVE, 122, c, 2, by Cupid
1st Dam: No Wonder, by Three Wonders
2nd Dam: Starinthemeadow, by Meadowlake
3rd Dam: Lite a Star, by Our Michael
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($77,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $9,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP; $100,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Eclipse
Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber; B-William D. Graham
(ON); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Rafael Manuel Hernandez. C$108,000.
Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0, $208,993. *1/2 to Muskoka Wonder
(Into Mischief), SW, $111,436. **1st graded stakes winner for
freshman sire (by Tapit). Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ironstone, 121, c, 2, Mr Speaker–Casey's Dreamin', by
Unbridled's Song. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. (C$7,000 Ylg '20
CANSEP). O-Tequesta Racing Inc. and Jupiter Leasing Co.;
B-Kingview Farms (ON); T-W. V. Armata. C$36,000.
3–On Thin Ice, 119, c, 2, More Than Ready–Frozen Treat, by
Dynaformer. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($140,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-DJ Stable, LLC (KY);
T-Mark E. Casse. C$15,000.
Margins: 1HF, 1HF, HD. Odds: 4.80, 5.05, 11.55.
Also Ran: Churchtown, Heat Merchant, Hicksy, Be Like Clint, International, Stowaway, Shamateur. Scratched: Speak Unity, The Minkster. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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God Of Love Gets First Graded Stakes Win In Grey At Woodbine

Mark Casse went two for two in graded stakes Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. God of Love went wide on the far turn to find running room in the stretch and take the Grade 3 Grey Stakes by a length and a half.

In a crowded field of 12 on a snowy day at Woodbine, Churchtown was the fastest out of the gate, taking a one-length lead as the field approached the first turn. Down the backstretch, Churchtown maintained his lead with Stowaway, Ironstone, and Hicksy stalking. God of Love was next to last on the backstretch, jockey Rafael Hernandez keeping him on the outside of horses as they entered the far turn.

Four-wide into the stretch, Hernandez set God of Love down for a drive as Ironstone passed Churchtown in the Woodbine straight. In the race's final sixteenth, God of Love rallied past Ironstone and On Thin Ice to take the G3 Grey Stakes. Churchtown held on for fourth. Heat Merchant, Hicksy, Be Like Clint, International, Stowaway, and Shamateur rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the 1 1/16 miles over the all-weather course was 1:44.20. Find this race's chart here.

God of Love paid $11.60, $5.70, and $3.40. Ironstone paid $6.10 and $5.00. On Thin Ice paid $7.00.

Bred in Ontario by William D. Graham, God of Love is by Cupid out of the Three Wonders mare No Wonder. He is owned by Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, who purchased the 2-year-old colt from Golden Thoroughbreds Training and Sales for $100,000 at the 2021 Ocala Breeders' Sales Company March Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. With his win in the G3 Grey, God of Love has two wins in four starts for career earnings of $208,993. God of Love's G3 stakes win gives sire Cupid his first graded stakes winner.

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