Mark Casse | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gretzky Looks to Become Next GISW for Nyquist in Summer

Gretzky the Great (Nyquist) will be favored to become his freshman sire’s second top-level scorer Sunday in Woodbine’s GI Summer S., which grants the winner a spot in the gate for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Second behind subsequent Victoria S. winner Ready to Repeat (More Than Ready) in his grass debut here July 12, he graduated at second asking in an off-the-turf sprint here Aug. 2. The Mark Casse pupil captured the Soaring Free S. going 6 1/2 panels on the local lawn next out Aug. 23, giving Nyquist his first black-type victor. Casse also saddles D J Stable’s $800,000 OBSAPR purchase Dolder Grand (Candy Ride {Arg}), who rallied to be third on debut behind Download (Society’s Chairman) in a seven-panel turf test over this course Aug. 23.

A pair of first-out winners take a big step up in class here in American Monarch (American Pharoah) and Heat of the Night (Summer Front). Trained by Bill Mott, the former rallied to victory in a two-turn turf event at Saratoga Aug. 8, overtaking the Chad Brown-trained Secret Potion (Into Mischief) late. Tim Hamm saddles Heat of the Night, who broke his maiden in a one-mile event on the Gulfstream lawn Sept. 3.

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Lady Speightspeare Earns Top Billing In Sunday’s Natalma Stakes

On Saturday, trainer Roger Attfield and owner/breeder Charles Fipke will be looking to knock off some big game in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile and earn a fees-paid berth in Keeneland's Breeders' Cup Mile with Shirl's Speight.

On Sunday, the same connections will be hoping to land another Grade 1 prize with Lady Speightspeare, who will be making just her second lifetime start but looms as the horse to beat in the $250,000 Natalma Stakes.

The Grade 1 Natalma, a one-mile turf race which attracted seven two-year-old fillies, also is part of the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” series with the target race the $1 million Breeders' Cup Fillies Juvenile Turf at Keeneland on November 6.

Attfield was not surprised when Lady Speightspeare, who like Shirl's Speight was sired by Speightstown, was in the spotlight in her debut, scoring by 3 ¾ lengths over seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course. The trainer did allow, however, that he was impressed with the flair she showed in her front-running victory.

“I think she probably did it a little more fashionably than I would have expected,” he said.

Last Sunday, Lady Speightspeare turned heads with a five-furlong “breeze” in :58.60 on the training track turf course.

“She worked very, very well,” said the venerable Attfield, who will be seeking his third Natalma title after clicking with future Horse of the Year and Canadian Hall of Famer Alywow in 1993 and with Llanarmon 20 years later.

Emma-Jayne Wilson, who rode Llanaramon, will be eyeing a second Natalma score as she retains the mount on Lady Speightspeare.

Trainer Mark Casse is the all-time leader in Natalma history, having not only fielded seven winners but also been responsible for the top three finishers twice and the exacta on another occasion. Most prominent on that list is Catch A Glimpse, who went to win the BC Juvenile Turf Fillies and become a three-ply Sovereign Award winner including Horse of the Year in 2015.

Casse's candidate this year is Sleek Lynx, an English-bred whose dam, Sarah Lynx, romped over some formidable opposition when invading from France for the 2011 Canadian International. Owned by prominent Casse patron Gary Barber, Sleek Lynx will be making just her second career start after finishing a troubled second as the odds-on choice in a one-mile maiden turf tilt at Gulfstream Park on July 23.

“She's a nice filly – probably should have won her first start,” said Casse. “She's a filly we've been high on since we got her. I didn't think there was any way she could get beat, but she did. But she's trained well, and I would expect her to run well.”

Two of Casse's Natalma winners were maidens going into the race: Sprung (actually a first-time starter, at 48-1) gave the trainer his first Natalma success in 2006 and Victory to Victory his most recent in 2016. Rafael Hernandez picks up the mount on Sleek Lynx.

Catch A Glimpse has a local stakes race named in her honour and Alda and Dreaming of Drew, the 1-2 finishers in that 6 ½-furlong turf race for two-year-old fillies, are decided threats as they renew hostilities in the Natalma.

Alda, based at Fair Hills, Maryland with trainer Graham Motion, was coming off a maiden win over six furlongs of turf at Belmont when scoring by a nose under Steven Bahen in the Catch A Glimpse. Bahen won the 1998 Natalma aboard Dance Diane.

Seasons and Stunning Princess, both invading from New York, add intrigue to the Natalma lineup.

Jimmy Toner trains Seasons, who was up in time as the odds-on choice when debuting at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Saratoga in her first and only start on August 9. Toner won the Grade 2 Dance Smartly with Masseuse back in 2007 but has not had a starter here since 2011. Luis Contreras, who rode Northern Passion to victory in the 2011 Natalma, will do the honours on Seasons this year.

Stunning Princess is a maiden but has recorded two good second-place finishes in as many starts over 1 1/16 miles of turf at Saratoga for trainer Danny Gargan. Kazushi Kimura has been engaged for the ride on Stunning Princess. Gargan will be making his debut north of the border.

Rounding out the field will be Big Big Plans, who was an impressive winner over 5 ½ furlongs of Tapeta when debuting with a $25,000 claiming tag.

All starters have been assigned 121 pounds.

The Natalma Stakes is scheduled as the ninth race on Sunday while the companion Grade 1 Summer Stakes is the seventh race. Both Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races will be broadcast live on TSN2 from 4-6 p.m. ET.

First race post time on Sunday is set for 1:10 p.m. Fans can wager on all the action via HPIbet.com.

FIELD FOR THE GRADE 1 NATALMA STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Stunning Princess – Kazushi Kimura – Danny Gargan

2 – Seasons – Luis Contreras – Jimmy Toner

3 – Sleek Lynx – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

4 – Dreaming of Drew – Justin Stein – Barbara Minshall

5 – Alda – Steven Bahen – Graham Motion

6 – Lady Speightspeare – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield

7 – Big Big Plans – Larry Munoz – Nick Gonzalez

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Casse Pair Headlines ‘Win And You’re In’ Summer Stakes At Woodbine

Seven first-year stars take their talents to the E.P. Taylor Turf Course in Sunday's Grade 1 $250,000 Summer Stakes, part of a sensational stakes-stacked weekend at Woodbine.

The one-mile Summer Stakes is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, “Win and You're In” event. Up for grabs is a fees-paid date in the one-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (accompanied by a $1 million purse), to be run on November 6 at Keeneland.

Mark Casse will send out a pair of hopefuls, Dolder Grand and Gretzky the Great, in the Summer, a race he has won on three occasions. The Hall of Fame conditioner netted the natural hat trick from 2013-15, starting with My Conquestadory, followed by Conquest Typhoon and Conquest Daddyo.

Dolder Grand, a Kentucky-bred son of Candy Ride, finished third in his career bow on August 23 at Woodbine. With Patrick Husbands in the irons, the D J Stable silk-bearer was bumped in the stretch, but rallied to secure the show spot in the seven-furlong race run over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

“He reminds me a bit of War of Will,” said Casse, in referencing his Ricoh Woodbine Mile starter and Preakness champ. “They paid a lot of money [$800,000] for him – D J Stable – and he's trained very well. I was a little disappointed in his first start, but I can remember War of Will doing the exact same thing. When I ran War of Will first time out, I didn't think he'd get beat and he finished third, beaten like five lengths.”

Casse liked the effort shown by the dark bay, bred by Dell Ridge Farm.

“This horse ran well in that he never gave up. I think he's going to improve big time off his maiden race. He's also trained extremely well. I expect him to be a factor in the Summer.”

After a runner-up effort in his first career start on July 12, Gretzky the Great could net a natural hat trick of his own with a win on Saturday.

Owned by Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the son of Nyquist, bred by Anderson Farms Ontario, broke his maiden via a 4 ¼-length victory on August 2. The bay colt followed it up with a gutsy neck score in the Soaring Free Stakes, traveling 6 ½ panels on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course on August 23.

Casse's hoping for another great one this weekend.

“He's been great so far. He's come to play each time and he's run hard. He's also training well.”

American Monarch, a two-year-old son of American Pharoah, will look to build off a sharp debut on August 8 at Saratoga. The Bill Mott trainee, bred and owned by Mike Rutherford, posted a half-length win in a 1 1/16 mile turf engagement contested over “firm” going.

Mott is seeking his third Summer score after taking the 2007 running with Prussian and the 2016 edition with Good Samaritan.

A dark bay son of Society's Chairman, Download uploaded a win to his stat sheet after a maiden-breaking score on August 23. In his third career start, the Ontario-bred colt pulled off the 14-1 upset at seven panels over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course. Trainer Michael De Paulo co-owns with Zilli Racing Stables, Le Amici Racing Stable and Samotowka Stables.

Heat of the Night, a gelded son of Summer Front, delivered an 11-1 win in his career bow on September 3 at Gulfstream. Trained by Timothy Hamm, the Kentucky-bred, owned by Blazing Meadows Farms and Fred Hertich, took the one-mile turf race by one length. The Summer marks the Canadian debut for Heat of the Night.

Victoria Stakes champ Ready to Repeat is 2-1-1 from four starts. Trained by Gail Cox, who co-owns the Kentucky-bred gelding with John Menary, Michael Ambler and Windways Farm, the bay was third in his most recent test, the Soaring Free Stakes on August 23 at Woodbine. Ready to Repeat finished second in his career bow on June 14 before going on to win his next two starts.

Secret Potion just missed in his debut, losing by a half-length in the 1 1/16-mile turf race at Saratoga on August 8. Owned by Peter Brant, Robert LaPenta and Woodford Racing, the son of Into Mischief was bred in Kentucky by Dixiana Farms.

Last year, Decorated Invader, under Irad Ortiz Jr., won the Summer in a time of 1:36.34.

The Summer (Race 7) and Natalma Stakes (Race 9) will be broadcast live on TSN2 from 4-6 p.m. ET.

First race post time on Sunday is set for 1:10 p.m. Fans can wager on all the action via HPIbet.com.

FIELD FOR THE SUMMER STAKES

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Download – Daisuke Fukumoto – Michael De Paulo

2 – Secret Potion – Rafael Hernandez – Chad Brown

3 – Ready to Repeat – Luis Contreras – Gail Cox

4 – Gretzky the Great – Kazushi Kimura – Mark Casse

5 – American Monarch – Justin Stein – Bill Mott

6 – Heat of the Night – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Timothy Hamm

7 – Dolder Grand – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

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Equibase Analysis: War Of Will, March To The Arch Stand Out In Woodbine Mile

The Grade 1, $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile is always a highly anticipated fixture as the northern hemisphere transitions from summer to fall and this year's edition is no exception. A “Win & You're In” for the Breeders' Cup Mile, this year's edition drew a strong field of eight, led by a pair of standouts from the barn of Mark Casse in War of Will and March to the Arch. War of Will is one of those, perhaps best remembered for winning the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes in 2019. However, the talented colt who leads the field in career earnings at $1.7 million, ran on turf in the first four races of his career and enters the race off a win on grass in the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile in July. March to the Arch proved he belonged in top company on grass when winning the Grade 2 Wise Dan Stakes in June, 2019 and renewed that form last month when victorious in the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes at Woodbine.

Admiralty Pier finished second in the King Edward and certainly fits in this field as a contender, as does recent Grade 3 Vigil Stakes runner-up Olympic Runner. Armistice Day won the Toronto Cup Stakes in 2019, the same race March to the Arch won the previous year, and makes his third start off a layoff so he may have a say in the outcome as well. Value Proposition (GB) has just five races under his belt but his third place effort in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes this summer suggests he has enough talent to be a factor. Even more lightly raced is Shirl's Speight, who has run two races to date. However, this three year old who was considered for the Kentucky Derby earlier this month is a perfect two-for-two in his career and has potential to surprise a few people with another top effort.

Last, but certainly not least, is the mare Starship Jubilee, who is second in career earnings at $1.6 million. Starship Jubilee has won 18 races in her career including six on the Woodbine turf. She enters the race off a fourth place effort in the Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga and won the Grade 2 Ballston Spa Stakes prior to that and a repeat of that effort, or when winning the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes last October at Woodbine, gives her a more than decent shot at being in the thick of the action at the finish in this year's Ricoh Woodbine Mile.

War of Will may be best known for winning the Preakness Stakes in 2019 but when considering his chances to win this year's Ricoh Woodbine Mile on turf one need look no further than his races before getting on the Road to the Derby last year, and his most recent starts. Being by a tremendous turf sire in War Front, War of Will began his career on turf in the fall of 2018, finishing third before entering the Summer Stakes still as a maiden in only the second start of his career. Nearly pulling off the upset at 10/1 in that race when leading late before settling for second, War of Will then nearly won the Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland when fourth in a blanket finish on the wire. After a fifth place finish in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and after breaking his maiden on dirt, War of Will set his sights on the Kentucky Derby, winning the Lecomte Stakes and Risen Star Stakes before poorer efforts in the Louisiana Derby and an eighth place finish in the Kentucky Derby. After rebounding to win the Preakness, War of Will finished third or worse in five races on dirt before returning to the turf. The first of those efforts came in the Shoemaker Mile in May in which he raced close up early before tiring to fifth in a ten horse field. A little of six weeks later, War of Will arguably ran his best race ever, gamely rallying in the stretch to win the Maker's Mark Mile by a nose and earning a 115 Equibase Speed Figure, the best winning figure of his career. The reason for that effort appears to be the removal of blinkers for that race so there is every reason to believe the effort, and its winning result, are repeatable, making War of Will the one to beat in this year's Ricoh Woodbine Mile.

March to the Arch is also a strong contender to win the Ricoh Woodbine Mile. On six occasions in 21 career turf races, March to the Arch has come out on top. The best of those came last year came when he won the Wise Dan Stakes with a strong 104  figure. However, as a five year old March to the Arch has run even better. In his second start of 2020, March to the Arch fought gamely and lost by a nose and a head in the Tampa Bay Stakes with a career-best 115 figure. Following a poor 10th place effort in this year's Shoemaker Mile, March to the Arch was only beaten two lengths although sixth when defending his title in the Wise Dan before returning to Woodbine last month, where he won the Toronto Cup Stakes in 2018. Prepping for the Ricoh Woodbine Mile last month in the King Edward Stakes, March to the Arch was quite impressive in rallying from last in the field of eight to assert himself late and win by two and one-quarter lengths. The 112 figure was the second best last race figure in the field, bettered only by that of War of Will, who is also trained by Mark Casse. Getting the ground saving rail for this race, March to the Arch appears to be the biggest challenge to War of Will and has every right to win his second straight graded stakes in a row at the distance of one mile on turf.

Admiralty Pier led from the start in the King Edward and although beaten by two and one-quarter lengths at the end by March to the Arch ran one of the best races of his career. Earning a 109 figure for in the King Edward, Admiralty Pier is likely to be the controlling speed in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile. He won the Tampa Bay Derby with a career-best 115 figure in February, defeating March to the Arch in the process, and he's on a pattern to get back to that type of effort as he earned a 103 figure when second in the Connaught Cup in July before a 109 figure in the King Edward. As such, we should not rule out the possibility Admiralty Pier could post the upset in this race.

The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Armistice Day (103), Olympic Runner (99), Shirl's Speight (97) Starship Jubilee (119 in 2018) and Value Proposition (GB) (99).

Win Contenders (in probability/preference order):
War of Will
March to the Arch
Admiralty Pier

Ricoh Woodbine Mile – Grade 1
Race 9 at Woodbine
Saturday, September 19 – Post Time 5:59 PM E.T.
One Mile on Turf
Three Years Olds and Upward
Purse: $1 Million

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