Mark Casse

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-GP, $46K, Alw/OC ($75K), N1X, 3yo, 1mT, 4:25 ET ERJ Racing and Gary Barber's PATROL (Liam's Map) takes on an experienced group of foes as he looks to remain unbeaten in his turf debut Sunday. A $190,000 KEESEP yearling, he was the second-priciest juvenile to sell at Keeneland April last term at $360,000 off a co-quickest furlong breeze in :10 flat. Turned over to Mark Casse, he made a successful debut sprinting at Aqueduct Feb. 15. He has a right to handle the surface switch...

When Cindy Hutson decided to upgrade her small racing stable a few years ago, bloodstock agent Deuce Greathouse suggested a trip to Deauville for the 2018 Arqana August Yearling Sale where owner and agent purchased a daughter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah for a headline-grabbing €850,000. The filly, now named Lashara (GB) and owned by Hutson in partnership with Robert Masterson, graduated in her turf debut on her third birthday at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Hutson, whose late husband Dan owned the Hutson Ag Company in Murray, Kentucky, first decided...

5th-Gulfstream, $38,000, Msw, 4-11, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:35.09, fm. LASHARA (GB) (f, 3, American Pharoah--Marbre Rose {Ire} {GSW-Can, SW-USA, MGSP-Fr, $298,822}, by Smart Strike) was bet down to 7-2 in her debut but tired late to be eighth going 6 ½ furlongs over the Gulfstream dirt Mar. 15. Recording a pair of sharp turf works since that effort, including a bullet four-furlong move in :47.60 at Palm Meadows Apr. 4, she was installed the 8-5 choice to get the job done while trying a route of ground on the turf...

The recent announcement by the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA) that Clenbuterol can no longer be used within 28 days of a horse racing was something trainer Mark Casse had been waiting a long time to hear. The veteran trainer has been the sport's most outspoken critic of what he saw as the abuse of the drug and the new regulations in Canada will be among the strictest in North American racing. But Casse said that the new rules only go so far in curbing the problem and that the real...

The HBPA of Ontario released a statement Monday speaking out against the abuse of clenbuterol, saying that it has passed a motion "supportive of stopping the abuse of the medication clenbuterol" and is requesting the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency and Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario "take immediate action thereupon." The statement comes on the heels of Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse calling for a ban of the drug last week in the TDN. The statement continued: "We feel that all owners and trainers deserve a level playing field...

Seven trainers, including two of the biggest names in the sport in Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro, are among 27 individuals indicted for doping horses. The scheme involves Eclipse Award winner Maximum Security (New Year's Day), G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner X Y Jet (Kantharos), exotic drugs you've never heard of and the killing of horses to hide the evidence. It does not get any uglier. With this, coming on top of the breakdowns and fatalities at Santa Anita, many were left to wonder if the sport can survive another...

Thank you, Mark Casse. It's great when a person of stature and respect in this business takes a stand against a problem infecting our sport. Clenbuterol has long been flying under the radar in its use in Thoroughbreds of all ages. To my understanding, it is not a critical medication and should be abolished. Mark's comments say it all for the racing side. As for its use in sales prep for weanlings and yearlings, there is absolutely no place for it. I have heard the stories of people using and...

Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) looks for his third straight stakes score in a loaded renewal of Saturday's GIII Gotham S. going a one-turn mile at the Big A. The speedy bay, favored at 3-1 on the morning line for the Gotham, ran away by 9 3/4 lengths in his first attempt with blinkers added in the Parx Juvenile S. Nov. 5, then returned from the bench with another dazzling front-running performance in Gulfstream's GIII Swale S. Feb. 1. Both races were contested at seven furlongs. "If he runs good in...

When Mark Casse wrote an Op/Ed in the March 2 TDN urging racing to ban the use of Clenbuterol, he started an important conversation about the use of drugs in the sport. Today, he appears on the Writers' Room podcast to talk about why he wrote what he did.

Clenbuterol is the most abused drug in our industry. For anyone who does not know what Clenbuterol is, please read this: a synthetic drug used in the treatment of asthma and respiratory diseases and also in veterinary obstetrics. It also promotes the growth of muscle and has been used illegally by athletes to enhance performance. This drug is banned by every major sporting body in the world. The Olympic Committee banned it more than 20 years ago, yet it is alive and well in the Thoroughbred industry. The mind-boggling thing...

Six racehorses, four trainers, and one jockey make up the 11 finalists to be included on the National Museum of Racing's 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. The list, released Monday, includes racehorses Blind Luck, Game On Dude (first year of eligibility), Havre de Grace, Kona Gold, Rags to Riches, and Wise Dan (first year of eligibility); trainers Mark Casse, Christophe Clement, Doug O'Neill, and David Whiteley; and jockey Corey Nakatani. The finalists were selected by the Hall of Fame's Nominating Committee from a total of 91 initial candidates suggested by...

The Empire Racing Club (ERC), an initiative by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association introducing fans to racehorse ownership, announced the launch of the 2020 season, which officially kicks off Apr. 1. Created in 2019, the non-profit organization will again be managed by race-caller Tom Durkin. Training the current team of runners for the 2020 season are Todd Pletcher, Mark Casse, and Linda Rice. "ERC has been an enjoyable and rewarding experience for me," said Durkin. "Having been in an 8x10 announcer's booth for 40 years was a fun way...