Trainer Mark Casse to have four horses running at Breeders' Cup event | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Mostly Cloudy  4.2°C

Trainer Mark Casse to have four horses running at Breeders' Cup event

Mark Casse will be well represented at the Breeders' Cup.

Casse, a 53-year-old Florida native, will have four horses in thoroughbred racing's top event Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Casse, the six-time winner of Canadian racing's top trainer award, will saddle Conquest Typhoon (Juvenile Turf), Conquest Harlanate (Juvenile Fillies Turf), Conquest Eclipse (Juvenile Fillies) and Kaigun (Mile/Turf Sprint).

All but Conquest Eclipse are Ontario-bred horses.

"That just shows you how good the Canadian program has become and everyone in Ontario should be proud of that," said Casse.

Jockey Patrick Husbands of Brampton, Ont., is scheduled to ride Conquest Harlanate, Conquest Typhoon and Kaigun while Corey Nakatani will be aboard Conquest Eclipse.

Conquest Typhoon, bred in Ontario by Josham Farms Limited, earned a berth in the Juvenile Turf by capturing the Grade 2 Summer Stakes event Sept. 13. It was Conquest Typhoon's first career victory.

Most recently, Conquest Typhoon finished second to Juvenile Turf rival International Star in the 1 1/16-miles Grade 3 Grey Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack. Conquest Typhoon carried 125 pounds in that event, 10 more than International Star.

"I came very close to not running him," Casse said. "It's one thing for an older horse to carry 125 pounds, it's another thing for a two-year-old making his first start around two turns.

"All that being said, that's not what got him beat. Patrick (Husbands) said, when he started to open up he saw the tracks from the starting gate and put on the brakes. It wasn't a matter of not being able to go that far."

Trainer Gail Cox, a Toronto native, will send out her second Breeders' Cup starter when she saddles Something Extra in Saturday's Grade 1 Turf Sprint. Her first starter, Hard Not to Like, finished fifth in the '11 edition of the Grade 2 Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva replaces Julien Leparoux, who guided the Kentucky-bred chestnut to a second-place run to Turf Sprint rival Dimension in the Kentucky Downs Turf Dash.

"His last race at Kentucky Downs was a huge effort as it was uphill coming home and he was high weight in the race (125 pounds)," Cox said. "He hasn't run a bad race this year."

Cox believes that race could prove helpful when the six-year-old gelding runs over Santa Anita's unique downhill configuration.

"He really handled that track and I think it bodes well for Santa Anita," said Cox. "At Kentucky Downs, they come out of the gate and bend to the right a bit and then they have a long sweeping turn. There's a bit of up and down going on and he really loved that track.

"He came out of the race well. He's breezed one half-mile and he'll have his final breeze here on Friday and ship out to Lexington on Sunday and fly out to California early Monday morning."

Leigh Court, owned by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and trained by Josie Carroll, also of Toronto, earned a berth in the Filly and Mare Sprint with a three-length win in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland.

The dark bay daughter of Grand Slam-Padmore was Canada's top three-year-old filly last year. Woodbine-based jockey Gary Boulanger, an Edmonton native, will be aboard.

Trainer Brian Lynch, a native of Brisbane, Australia, now living in Toronto, will send out Grand Arch in the Breeders' Cup Mile. The bay son of Arch captured Woodbine's Grade 2 King Edward Stakes on June 22.

J. Paul Reddam of Windsor, Ont., is the owner of four Cup starters, including Eddie's First (Sprint/Turf Sprint), Handsome Mike (Dirt Mile/Mile), Indexical (Sprint/Turf Sprint) and Miltee (AE Juvenile Turf).

Unbridled Forever, owned by Charles Fipke, of Kelowna, B.C., is scheduled to run in the Distaff while Majestic Presence, co-owned by Glen Todd of White Rock, B.C., is entered in the Juvenile Fillies.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2014
The Canadian Press

  • Popular kamloops News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile