Mark Casse | Horse Racing Free Tips

Friday Insights: Pair of $850K Babies Debut On Oaks Undercard

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

2nd-CD, $97K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 11:30 a.m. ET

Gary Barber and Baccari Racing Stable’s SALTY AS CAN BE (Into Mischief) opens her account in this sprint, the second event on a star-studded GI Longines Kentucky Oaks day card at Churchill. Bought for $850,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, the bay is a half-sister to Salty (Quality Road), who won the GI La Troienne S. over this track for these connections in 2018 before selling for $3 million to Don Alberto at Fasig-Tipton November. Other interesting firsters in the field include Stoneway Farm’s Amusing Antics (Super Saver) and David McCarty’s Super Sport (Not This Time). The former, the first foal out of an unraced half-sister to last year’s dual champion Covfefe (Into Mischief) and MGSW/MG1SP Albiano (Harlan’s Holiday), shows a sharp local worktab for Bill Mott, including a half-mile gate breeze in :48 1/5 (2/58) Aug. 17. The latter, from the female family of multimillionaire Spain (Thunder Gulch), is by the hottest current freshman sire and drilled a bullet four furlongs in :46 3/5 (1/13) out of the blocks Aug. 25 at Keeneland for Ignacio Correas. Of the horses with experience, Franklin Ave Equine and Jon Green’s Quick Munny (Munnings) looks the one to beat after showingspeed and running second behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ Inject (Frosted) on debut Aug. 15 at Ellis. TJCIS PPs

5th-CD, $97K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10 p.m. ET

In the second half of this six-furlong heat, another $850,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase in OXO Equine’s Travel Column (Frosted) makes her debut. The Brad Cox-trained gray is a half-sister to MGISP Neolithic (Harlan’s Holiday) out of MSW Swingit (Victory Gallop). Peace Broker (War Front) also lifts the lid on her career from the outside post Bob Gorsky and CJ Thoroughbreds. The bay is a half-sister to GSW/MGISP ‘TDN Rising Star’ Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo), who is slated to run later in the card in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks. TJCIS PPs

—@JBiancaTDN

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Chart Lands Ontario Colleen In Four-Horse Blanket Finish At Woodbine

With a determined stretch run, Chart prevailed in a photo finish to take the $125,000 Ontario Colleen Stakes (Grade 3) for three-year-old fillies on a windy Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

One of four Mark Casse trainees in the field of six, Chart got the first call breaking sharply from the gate for jockey Justin Stein and settled into second behind the Casse-trained Grade 3 Selene champion Two Sixty, who sped out front and clocked an opening quarter in :23.55 and half-mile in :46.93.

Heading into the turn in the one-mile turf test, Chart advanced outside of the pacesetter with the Alex Patykewich-trained Saratoga Vision moving three-wide and Diamond Sparkles, another Casse contender, poised to go widest of all past three-quarters in 1:10.38.

Down the stretch into a headwind, Chart battled on gamely against Two Sixty with even-money favorite Avie's Samurai, from the Josie Carroll barn, emerging at the rail.

Digging in, the determined Chart prevailed in a blanket finish, getting the nod in 1:35.24 over Avie's Samurai. Diamond Sparkles finished another head back on the outside in third, with Two Sixty a half-length back between foes. Saratoga Vision finished less than a length behind in fifth while Fly So Pretty rounded out the field.

“She broke sharp and I didn't have to ask her to leave there,” said Stein, who is now just a couple wins behind meet-leading rider Rafael Hernandez. “She settled into stride right away and just galloped around there until it was really time to start running.

“I got to sit and wait for a while. I was pretty comfy sitting up to the quarter pole and when I asked her to run, she really kicked. I just could feel the try that she had inside. She was digging in and giving me everything that she had. Running into that headwind, I don't know how she did it, but she found more to get the job done.”

The lightly raced Kentucky-bred filly sired by Lea has now won half of her six career starts for owner D. J. Stable LLC.

Sent postward as the 9-2 second choice, Chart returned $11.20 to win.

Morning line favorite Walk In Marrakesh was scratched.

In other action, Theregoesjojo ($7.80) and Kazushi Kimura won the $50,000 second leg of the Woodbine Turf Endurance Series for trainer Michael De Paulo and the Samotowka Stables.

Stretching out to 1 1/2 miles, the five-year-old English Channel gelding stalked the top pair before sweeping to command on the final turn and winning by two lengths in 2:29.78 over the late-rallying Peace of Ekati.

Theregoesjojo was a runner-up in the 1-3/8-mile first leg to Artistico, who finished third in round two as the 6-5 favourite.

The series, which offers $40,000 in bonuses to the top point-earners, continues on Saturday, Sept. 26 with the third round at 1-5/8-miles.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues at Woodbine on Sunday, featuring the $770,000 Canadian Yearling Sales Stakes. Post time for the 11-race card is 1 p.m.

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Jack And Noah Gives Casse First Win Of Saratoga Meet In Wednesday’s Mahony Stakes

Gary Barber's Jack and Noah broke alertly and never looked back, wiring an eight-horse field by drawing away to a 3 1/4-length victory in Wednesday's $85,000 Mahony for sophomores at Saratoga Race Course.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse entered the second running of the Mahony winless during the summer meet but tallied nine runner-up finishes. Jack and Noah finally eliminated the goose-egg for his conditioner, rocketing to the front under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez from the outermost post and building a six-length lead on the field with the opening quarter-mile in 21.50 seconds on the Mellon turf course labeled firm.

Jack and Noah registered the half-mile in 43.55 and built a 7 ½ length-edge at the three-eighths mark. In the stretch, Competitive Saint made up some ground, but the pacesetter was never seriously challenged, completing 5 ½ furlongs in a final time of 1:01.28.

Jack and Noah won for the second time in his three starts, building on a one-length score in the six-furlong Sir Cat in June at Belmont Park. The gray son of Bated Breath set the pace last out before tiring and finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Quick Call on July 24 at Saratoga. A month later, the French bred responded to a return engagement on the track by winning for the fourth time in eight starts overall.

“He was out of there right from the start,” Velazquez said. “Last time, the track was a little bit soft, so it took him a couple of strides to get out of the gate. Today, the track had a little more grip to it, so he got a nice grip coming out of there. All the way around the turn, I knew he was going well. I was just hoping that down the stretch things would go our way, and they did. I was proud of the horse's effort.”

Casse earned his first victory with his 32nd starter of the meet, with the 5-1 selection returning $12 on a $2 win bet. Jack and Noah improved his career earnings to $216,300.

“We didn't tell Johnny too much. He's been here before and has a game plan going in,” Casse assistant Jamie Begg said. “Last time, he missed the break, but the turf was also a little soft, so when he needed to run last time, he struggled a bit through the softer turf. The turf has been a lot better recently, so we were confident going in and as soon we saw Johnny break on top like that, I knew we were away to the races.”

Earlier in the meet, Casse came close in graded stakes company, finishing second with Got Stormy in Saturday's Grade 1 Fourstardave, Tap It to Win in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on Whitney Day, August 1, and with Make Mischief in the Grade 2 Adirondack on August 12.

“It's one of those things where if we had a few wins, we'd be having a decent enough meet,” Begg said. “We've been pretty consistent with the graded horses hitting the board. We just needed to get one and having it be in a stake with a horse coming back is pretty good.”

Competitive Saint, making his stakes debut after starting his career 2-for-2 for trainer George Weaver, finished 1 ½-lengths in front of Buy Land and See for second.

Island Commish, Flap Jack, 9-5 favorite Maven, Old Chestnut and Power Up Paynter completed the order of finish. Cajun Casanova and Turned Aside scratched, as did main-track only entrant Sky of Hook.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga with a nine-race card that features the $85,000 Smart N Fancy older fillies and mares going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in Race 7 at 4:41 p.m. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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Gretzky The Great, Alda Score In Juvenile Turf Stakes At Woodbine

Two-year-olds Gretzky the Great and Alda shared the spotlight on Sunday as Woodbine hosted the $100,000 Soaring Free Stakes and filly companion Catch a Glimpse.

The 6 1/2-furlong sprints contested on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course at the Toronto, Ontario, racetrack, both ended in exciting finishes. They are local preps for the upcoming Grade 1 Summer and Natalma, a pair of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win And You're In” one-mile turf stakes set for September 20.

Gretzky the Great was all class, just like his legendary namesake, in winning his first stakes assignment with Kazushi Kimura aboard for trainer Mark Casse and owners Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

In the Soaring Free, Gretzky the Great settled behind the front-striding Into the Sunrise through fractions of :23.16 and :45.51 before kicking into action down the lane. Gaining with every stride as the wire approached, the talented Casse trainee collared Into the Sunrise for the victory in 1:13.83.

Gretzky the Great paid $6.70 to win. He was sent postward as the 2-1 second choice to Victoria Stakes champion Ready to Repeat, who finished 1 1/4 lengths behind the top pair in third. Gospel Way and Exceed completed the order of finish.

The Ontario-bred youngster was a runner-up to Ready to Repeat in his career debut on July 12 and has now won back-to-back starts. The lion's share of the purse more than doubled his bankroll, which reached six-figures.

“I was so satisfied the last time and today that was the best performance of his life,” said Kimura.

Bred by Anderson Farms, the Nyquist colt is out of the multiple stakes placed Bernardini mare Pearl Turn.

Alda winning the Catch a Glimpse

Woodbine newcomer Alda later defeated 4-5 favorite Dreaming of Drew by a head bob in the Catch a Glimpse for trainer Graham Motion and owner/breeder Wertheimer et Frere.

With Steven Bahen aboard, Alda trailed the field of six fillies early on while Illegal Smile was pressed by Road to Romance on the front through a quarter in :22.20 and half-mile in :44.74. Meanwhile, 4-5 favorite Dreaming of Drew was biding her time in third behind the top pair.

While the rail appeared to open up down the stretch for Dreaming of Drew, she went outside of Illegal Smile to take over command with a sixteenth to go, but Bahen timed his own bid just right with the late-charging Alda, who edged out the favorite by a nose in a photo finish. The final time was 1:14 flat.

Sent postward as the 5-2 second choice following a maiden-breaking victory on July 9 at Belmont Park, Alda returned $7.30 to win. Illegal Smile settled for third 1-1/4 lengths back, while Emmeline, Road to Romance and Purrsuade Me completed the order of finish. Ostracize was a late scratch.

While the finish was too close to call for Bahen, he expected the big stretch run from the promising filly.

“I had talked to [Graham Motion] this morning and I watched her races yesterday,” said Bahen. “She's got a real big kick and we discussed that we should just be off the pack, three or four off would be nice. I ended up being a little further back than I wanted to, and she gave me that run she has.

“It was my first time on her, and she was pretty classy,” added the veteran reinsman.

Bred in Kentucky, the Munnings–Soldata filly now has two wins from three career starts with earnings climbing over the $100,000 mark.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues at Woodbine on Thursday with post time for the first of eight races set for 3:20 p.m. Racing Night Live begins at 6 p.m. on TSN with the two-hour broadcast covering action from Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park.

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