Mark Casse

Travel plans for the GI Arkansas Derby runners are taking shape as top two Sandman (Tapit) and Publisher (American Pharoah) are scheduled to make the move to Churchill Monday. Positive prognoses abound Sunday as trainers prepared their charges for the haul to Churchill Downs ahead of the final preparations for the first Saturday in May. Sandman relished not only the added distance, as his dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse predicted, but also the meteoric pace up front courtesy of Cornucopian (Into Mischief) and Speed King (Volatile). His preliminary...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark--With 100 points to be deposited into their 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' account if they had the grit to take the GI Arkansas Derby, Sandman (Tapit) got his zzzs early in the race, then emerged from his power nap, rested and ready to face the rush hour. A maiden-breaker at second asking back at the Spa in early August, the colt ran through the initial portion of the Derby Trail in the fall where he was fifth in the GIII Iroquois Stakes and then third in the...

After nearly two hours of debate and testimony, Florida's House Commerce Committee on Monday passed bill HB 105, which would eliminate a requirement that Florida's two remaining racetracks hold races in order to offer alternative forms of gambling, such as slot machines, card rooms and casinos. The bill, sponsored by Republican Representative Adam Anderson is now positioned to go to the full house. A similar bill has been filed in the Senate but has yet to be heard in committees. "Today's vote in the House Commerce Committee was disappointing," said...

Though still weeks from being potentially enacted, the threatened 25% blanket tariff on all Canadian goods entering the U.S. is causing some Canadian-based owner-breeders to sound the alarm about the possible impacts to their businesses and to the country's broader industry. "For us, it could be the end of the industry. Period," warned Yvonne Schwabe, the owner of Persley Den Farms in Acton, Ontario, and the breeder of 2013 Queen's Plate winner Midnight Aria. "That's the scary part." As currently outlined, the tariffs are scheduled to go into effect on...

There was chemistry Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs. Nitrogen the element may be seventh on the periodic table, but Nitrogen (f, 3, Medaglia d'Oro--Tiffany Case, by Uncle Mo) the filly was first Saturday in the 42nd running of the GIII Florida Oaks. Last seen breaking her maiden in the Ginger Brew Stakes at Gulfstream Park in January, the D. J. Stable LLC homebred added her first graded tally to the two Grade I placings already on her CV. Midpack early from the ninth stall behind the :23.15 first fraction set...

2nd-GP, 50K, Msw, 3yo, (S), 1mT, 1:25 p.m. Purchased for $650,000 at FTSAUG in 2023, Florida-bred OUR SOUPER HERO (War of Will) was his sire's priciest yearling from that debut crop. Owned by Live Oak Plantation, the colt, who will face fellow Florida-breds Friday, is a half to both GSW/MGISP Pappacap (Gun Runner) and GSW Boppy O (Bolt d'Oro). First dam Pappascat, herself graded stakes placed, boasts a perfect four-for-four record for runners to winners. Debuting on the turf for trainer Mark Casse, Our Souper Hero gets Dylan Davis aboard....

Norman Stables' Coal Battle (Coal Front) scored one for the little guy Sunday at Oaklawn Park, overtaking pacesetting California invader Madaket Road (Quality Road) in upper stretch and leaving favored Sandman (Tapit) in his wake while striding home a 1 1/4-length winner of the GII Rebel Stakes. Sandman, who famously broke in a tangle before finishing a valiant second in the GIII Southwest Stakes a month ago, had most of the eyes on him as he broke professionally Sunday, but was unhurried and settled well off the pace as Madaket...

A veteran Hall of Fame trainer, Mark Casse knows that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The Casse-trained Sandman (Tapit) turned in a remarkable effort in his last start, the GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn, finishing second after breaking in a tangle and dropping far behind the leaders. Once straightened out, he rallied furiously and finished second, missing by just a length. To talk about the Southwest and Sandman's next start, Sunday's GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn, Casse joined the team on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast...

A veteran Hall of Fame trainer, Mark Casse knows that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The Casse-trained Sandman (Tapit) turned in a remarkable effort in his last start, the GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn, finishing second after breaking in a tangle and dropping far behind the leaders. Once straightened out, he rallied furiously and finished second, missing by just a length. To talk about the Southwest and Sandman's next start, Sunday's GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn, Casse joined the team on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast...

Breeders and horsemen aiming to fight Florida's decoupling bills launched the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative (TRI) Tuesday, billed as "an industry collaboration created to fight for live horse racing in Florida and elsewhere in the United States," according to a release from the new organization. Thayer Communications & Consulting's Damon Thayer, a 22-year veteran of the Kentucky State Senate and Majority Floor Leader for 12 years, has been picked as senior adviser of the group. Decoupling has been an issue at the forefront of the sport for the past month, when...

Things are starting to heat up on the trail to the GI Kentucky Oaks, and this weekend will feature the most important race run so far this year. The GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes at the Fair Grounds drew just six horses, but the race does not lack quality. Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) was undefeated last year in four starts and will be the favorite. But Simply Joking (Practical Joke) is not a horse you can throw out. It will be a big test for Simply Joking, who has run...

We're inside the 13-week mark to the GI Kentucky Derby with no seismic changes to the running order at this early stage of the season. The rankings are fairly evenly distributed among contenders based on both coasts and in Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana. 1) FIRST RESORT (c, Uncle Mo-Fair Maiden, by Street Boss). O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Eoin G. Harty. Lifetime record GSW, 4-2-1-0, $338,671. Last start: WON Nov. 30 GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. First Resort's 6-1 win in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes Nov. 30 rated as the most visually...