Justin Casse

Some enterprises of great pitch and moment take years to come to fruition. Some take just a few weeks. The latter scenario is true of the new partnership between bloodstock agent Justin Casse and trainer Joseph O'Brien. When Magnolia Racing Syndicate spent €562,000 at the recent Goffs Orby Sale, the group was built on relationships years in the making, but sprouted quickly from an idea into action. "I started kicking the idea of a transatlantic syndicate around three or four months ago," said Casse. "The fine-tuning part of who would...

The daily number of U.S. deaths from the COVID-19 virus neared 1,000 per day last week, the highest level the country has seen since February. The seven-day moving average of COVID-19 cases reported by the CDC, is at 149,263, and continues to rise. There are currently four variants circulating in the United States; Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma, with Delta making up over 99% of all cases. It seems like every day, someone we know in racing has contracted COVID, from trainer Todd Pletcher to the TDN's own Christina Bossinakis,...

by Christie DeBernardis & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - It was a very strong day of trade across the board at Fasig-Tipton's July Selected Yearlings Sale Tuesday, and, to no one's surprise, offspring of Into Mischief proved to be the auction's most coveted offerings. The Spendthrift kingpin accounted for three of the day's top four sellers, including the $800,000 sales topper (hip 123), who sold to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and LNJ Foxwoods. "He is an amazing stallion," Fasig Tipton President Boyd Browning. Jr. said of Into Mischief. "He is always...

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks. JUSTIN CASSE Authentic (Into Mischief), $75,000, Spendthrift Farm  The easy answer to this is Authentic, based on the obvious. His connections, his accomplishments in the summer and fall, as well as his sire. He's the leader of the pack in...

DONCASTER, UK—It's crunch time for the European yearling market, with both Ireland's and Britain's major auctions being staged in the next fortnight. The major obvious difference is the relocation of the Orby Sale, which takes place over the next two days, to Doncaster. An expected difference, however, is a reduction in trade from some of the boom years the bloodstock market has enjoyed since the recovery from the major recession of 2008. Considering the unprecedented backdrop to the sales calendar of 2020, the breeze-up sector and the early yearling sales...

The broadmindedness of Kelsey Riley's piece on mental health during the age of COVID-19 and within the polarizing aspects of the Thoroughbred industry in Monday's TDN was refreshingly progressive. Both she and Mr. Hamelback spoke of realities that were too hard for many people to divulge in years past. As a 'field researcher' and advocate with significant knowledge on this topic, I was pleased to see the subject conveyed through an industry media platform. The bubble that is the Thoroughbred industry breeds a roller coaster of polarizing emotions that walk...

The juvenile sales calendar, interrupted by the coronavirus epidemic, is scheduled to resume in three weeks with the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-year-Olds in Training and the OBS board met Monday to discuss the implementation of safety protocols ahead of the four-day auction. OBS held the only 2-year-olds in training sale of the year so far in March, just as the pandemic was starting to cause mass cancellations. Precautions for the Spring Sale will continue on from protocols put in place prior to the March sale, according...

I think that in terms of number of winners in 2020, the leading first-crop sire will by Speightster. I could name at least half a dozen off the top of my head that the consignors in Ocala like. They are "win first out," early types that will likely be hard to out-sprint. That being said, in terms of progeny earnings by the end of 2020, my choice would be Frosted. I've seen plenty of quality individuals throughout Ocala by this son of Tapit (who has started to show signs of...