Mark Casse

Over the last few months, I have read and heard numerous concerns about HISA's involvement in the thoroughbred industry. Purported issues range from, "we don't need the government in our business" to, "these new rules are too burdensome," to "they should have asked horsemen to be involved in the rulemaking." I believe most of those complaints come from a place of misunderstanding about what HISA is trying to accomplish and also how imperative it is to our livelihood that we have a centralized set of rules. As someone fortunate enough...

Eclipse and Sovereign Award winner Kazushi Kimura earned his second consecutive Woodbine jockey crown at the recently concluded Woodbine Thoroughbred meet with 152 wins. Overall his mounts earned $8.9 million (CDN). Born in Hokkaido, Japan, Kimura joined the Woodbine jockey colony as a 19-year-old apprentice in 2018. He finished his first Woodbine campaign sixth in the standings with 89 wins and his mounts totaled more than $2.3 million in earnings which earned him an Eclipse Award as North America's outstanding apprentice jockey. He also took home the Sovereign Award as...

To the casual observer, it might appear that success has come fast and early to Tyler Gaffalione, who has yet to see the dawn of his 30th birthday. As of Dec. 7, Gaffalione has registered 1,997 wins with career earnings of just over $113 million. That's pretty heady stuff, especially for a 28-year-old. However, don't let that fool you because the young horseman has already packed a tsunami of sweat and tears--not to mention good old fashioned hard work--into a life still very much in progress. I've had great people...

Curly Jack (Good Magic) looks to return to winning ways at a venue at which he is already two-for-two in Saturday's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at Churchill Downs. A debut winner at this oval in June, he was off the board in Saratoga's GIII Sanford S. in July, but missed by just a head in the Ellis Park Juvenile S. in August. Rallying to victory in this oval's GIII Iroquois S. Sept. 17, the bay was fifth at odds of 55-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland...

All of the Friday Breeders' Cup winners came back in fine form, according to their respective trainers Saturday, topped by GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Forte (Violence). "He's happy and proud of himself this morning," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "I thought he was more professional yesterday than he was when he won the [GI Claiborne] Breeders' Futurity here." Pletcher said Forte would get a little break--"not sure where"--and then look at a two-prep program from Pletcher's winter base at Palm Beach Downs in Florida leading up to the 2023 GI...

LEXINGTON, KY - D J Stable's Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) was masterfully handled from far back beneath Tyler Gaffalione and produced a devastating stretch run to secure a year-end divisional championship in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland. Leave No Trace (Outwork) was three lengths back in second; Raging Sea (Curlin) finished third. "There was lots of doubt probably the entire race given the way she has run in the past," said winning trainer Mark Casse after registering his sixth Breeders' Cup victory. "She is just a really...

Classic Sir Winston (Awesome Again--La Gran Bailadora, by Afleet Alex) has been retired from racing and will stand stud next year at Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm. The Tracy Farmer homebred is out of the Grade-III winning and Grade-I placed mare La Gran Bailadora. "Sir Winston showed us incredible talent right from the start and we think his progeny will do the same," said Farmer. "We will be supporting him both with mares in the breeding shed as well as in the sales ring down the road." A stakes winner and...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has announced the members of its Horsemen's Advisory Group, who were selected from among the more than 250 applications received from hands-on racing participants from across the country. Starting in November, the Advisory Group will convene on a monthly basis to provide feedback to the Authority's executive team and Standing Committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA's Racetrack Safety and Anti-Doping and Medication Control regulations. Members will serve between 1-2-year terms to stagger changes in the composition of the group and to...

A Mitole colt and a The Factor filly shared top billing during the select session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's October Yearling Sale, with both fetching $210,000 from the Green family's D. J. Stable. In total, 123 head changed hands for gross receipts of $6,018,000. The average was $48,927 (up 12.1% from $43,644 for the corresponding session in 2021) and median was $40,000 (up 25% from $32,000 last year). The RNA rate was 34.2% as of this writing, but that figure does not include post-sale transactions. D. J. Stable...

D.J. Stable's Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) cleared off and kept finding late to take Keeneland's "Win and You're In" GI Darley Alcibiades S. as the tepid 4-1 favorite. An impressive debut winner at Churchill Downs in June, the $275,000 KEESEP yearling dominated that venue's early season juvenile fillies centerpiece--the July 4 Debutante S.--before heading north to Saratoga. She was favored at 7-5 in the GI Spinaway S. on the Spa's closing weekend, but settled for second behind longshot Leave No Trace (Outwork), who returned to be third in last week's...

GISW Gretzky the Great (Nyquist) has been retired and will stand the upcoming breeding season at Ocala Stud, the farm announced today. Campaigned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse, Gretzky the Great took Woodbine's GI Summer S. as a 2-year-old. A $295,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling purchase, Gretzky the Great broke his maiden in his second career start at Woodbine. He then took the Soaring Free S. before his win in the GI Summer S., ending his season with a sixth-place run in the...

Just four days after his son Mounsieur Coco took the Proud Man S. over the Gulfstream all-weather, Boppy O (Bolt d'Oro) became the first graded-stakes winner for his freshman sire (by Medaglia d'Oro) and led home a top-three sweep for first-crop stallions when causing a 23-1 upset in Wednesday's GIII With Anticipation S. at Saratoga. Ridden for some speed by Dylan Davis while making his first venture on the grass and over a distance of ground, the $190,000 Keeneland September yearling--a half-brother to last year's GII Best Pal S. hero...