Wandering Eyes

With the OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale right around the corner, TDN’s Senior Editor Steve Sherack caught up with leading trainer Mark Casse for a Q&A session. Casse has enjoyed no shortage of success shopping for his clients out of the 2-year-old sales in Ocala in recent years, led by champion female sprinter and last term’s GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint heroine Shamrock Rose (First Dude) ($120,000 2yo ’17 OBSAPR). Casse’s highlight reel also includes: GISW and Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Spring in the Air (Spring At Last) ($130,000 2yo ’12 OBSMAR); Canadian champion 2-year-old filly, MGSW and GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d’Oro) ($325,000 2yo ’17 OBSAPR); Canadian champion 2-year-old filly, GSW and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies third-place finisher Delightful Mary (Limehouse) ($500,000 2yo ’10 OBSAPR); and MGSW and narrow GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Airoforce (Colonel John) ($350,000 2yo ’15 OBSAPR). Inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame in 2016, Casse was one of nine finalists on the ballot for induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame earlier this year. He is also on the OBS Board of Directors. Q: Take us through your process while shopping the 2-year-old sales. What is your approach and what do you look for when scouting talent? MC: For me, I narrow it down drastically by pedigrees, first and foremost. Unless I have a specific client that just wants some quick horse, we’re normally looking for horses that we feel are going to be Classic types, whether it’s colts or fillies. So that narrows things down greatly. Pedigree plays a large part. I have a lot of stallions that are on my no-fly list. No matter how good they train, I just won’t even look at ’em. They’ll say to me, ‘Come look at him, you’ll love him.’ And my response is, ‘That’s why I’m not going to look.’ I don’t want to be drawn in necessarily by just the looks of a horse. I feel like we have 100 or more years of history and you’re silly not to use it. You look at a guy who weighs 250 pounds and you look at another guy who weighs 125 pounds and you ask, ‘Which one has high cholesterol?’ It may have nothing to do with how big they are or how much they weigh. It has to do with family history. And I play those same factors when buying horses. My brother Justin has become a big part of the buying process now. He goes and does the heavy lifting for the most part, then I’ll come in a little later because we’re busy with our horses. It’s nice because before I used to have to do it all. It’s gotten now where he does a big part of it and then we kind of team up. It’s made my life easier and I think it’s made our buying better, too. Q: You have your own training base nearby, the Casse Training Center in Ocala. Can you talk about the initial training process for your 2-year-old buys? Do they all immediately get time off out of the sale or is it more of a case-by-case basis? MC: It’s case by case, and I think if you start making just a set procedure, you’re doing the wrong thing. A lot of people think as soon as the 2-year-old sales are over, ‘Oh, I’ve got to give them time or this or that.’ I don’t agree. I think you go with each individual. When you’re buying, you have to look at what your goals and expectations are and what you want to achieve. Obviously, if we go buy some quick horse and we think his future is as a 2-year-old, we’re going to be less likely to give that horse the time that we would another. In everything I do– whether training, buying, etc.–I try to have an open mind. Q: I asked Dennis O’Neill this same question a few years back. Are there certain defects/flaws or perceived negatives that you can live with at the 2-year-old sales that other buyers may pass on? MC: My rule is as long as you say ‘a little bit’ about anything, it doesn’t seem to bother me. Couple things… Back to the pedigree. The more pedigree and the more that the family has shown their ability to continue to race–they have lots of siblings or a mare that made many starts–I demand less conformation from them. A lot of times, I will buy a 2-year-old that I would never buy as a yearling simply because they have some conformation faults. But if they show they are able to handle those faults and we’re not seeing any issues with it radiographically or otherwise, then I’ll buy them. Q: Champion Shamrock Rose was certainly a nice find for $120,000 at the 2017 OBS April Sale. She worked in a bullet :10. Can you reflect on her as an OBS 2-year-old? MC: She’s beautiful. She’s just everything. The one thing she lacked, maybe a little bit, was that she didn’t have the star pedigree. But First Dude is a very nice sire in his own right. To me, she just looked like a racehorse. She fit nicely. Her pedigree wouldn’t have worked for some of my other clients–I’ve just had tremendous luck with the Conrads. They had given me a budget and I actually went over it just a little bit. I felt like for the money, you know, it sounds crazy, but when you’re buying a horse for $120,000, you have to give and take. You’re not going dot all the I’s and cross all T’s. But I thought we were getting an outstanding individual when we purchased her. Q: Switching gears to another one of your current stable stars and Triple Crown hopeful War of Will (War Front). He was selected by your brother Justin on behalf of Gary Barber for €250,000 out of last year’s Arqana May 2-Year-Old Breeze Up Sale. Have you had much experience with overseas 2-year-old purchases? Any thoughts or comparisons on how he was prepared and arrived to you versus the 2-year-olds that you’ve bought here in the States? MC: To the best of my knowledge, I think I’ve only had two that I could think of–him and one other. He’s been perfect since the beginning. I don’t know whether it was a process of his early upbringing or that’s just who he is. He’s just that kind of horse. So, to answer that question, I don’t think I have enough data to give you a true answer. Q: OBS March is the first 2-year-old sale on the calendar this year. How do you see the juvenile market playing out? MC: I think horse racing is well. There seems to be more money out there than I’ve ever seen before. I think the sales will be good. We’re probably going to be selective, but we do have a few people who will buying. We have an extremely strong and well-diversified 2-year-old crop. We did a lot of stuff as yearlings, which I like to do because I can have them from the beginning at our training center. Q: Freshman sires are well-represented in the OBS March catalogue, with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah at the forefront. Are there any that are sticking out to you? MC: I have an American Pharoah filly that I think could be any kind. She is definitely at the head of the class right now. I have a few American Pharoahs, in fact, and I’ve been impressed with them so far. The horse that has kind of surprised me, honestly, and I like what I’m seeing out of them, are the Tonalists. I have a couple of Competitive Edges that can run, too. Q: It seems like every year the 2-year-old sales get increasingly popular as more graduates show up in the Classics and you see regular yearling buyers like Tom McGreevy, Bruce Hill of Live Oak, etc., begin to participate more. You’ve certainly supported this market for quite some time now. Can you discuss this trend and the growth of the 2-year-old market? MC: I think for a while a lot of the big names steered away from them, but now they’re coming. There’s been so much success from the 2-year-old sales that it’s become intriguing to many. There’s still a few people that don’t do them–there’s pros and cons to everything. I’m going to be a little bit on the selfish side here, but I think when Mr. Oxley got pretty involved in it eight or nine years ago now, with his high profile, integrity and knowledge of the game, I don’t think that hurt. Q: What are your thoughts on the synthetic OBS Safetrack surface? How does it influence your evaluation process? MC: I’ll go down swinging for probably the rest of my life saying, ‘I wish every track was synthetic.’ I just think it’s so much easier on them than dirt. A funny thing the other day, we were having a board meeting and it was pouring rain and somebody said, ‘Well, I don’t know how much training will be going on tomorrow at all the tracks, but we’ll be training at OBS.’ And that’s because it takes the rain so well. In all honestly, does it make it more difficult as a buyer? Absolutely. Because horses move over it easier and there’s not as much separation. But for the most part, after they’ve went through their drill and you get them back home after you bought them, they’re a little healthier. Q: The OBS March Sale was expanded and opened up in 2015. There are 577 juveniles catalogued for this year’s sale. What do you think of the catalogue assembled? MC: It looks like a good catalogue. It’s amazing to me how things have changed. The March Sale was always the big money sale and the high prices, but it’s all went now where March will be big, but April will be bigger. I guess maybe part of it is because horses are getting a little more time to develop. Q: The OBS complex has undergone massive renovations the past few years. How does it look and is the project almost complete? MC: It’s pretty close, it looks great. We’re very proud of it. We replaced almost the entire building. The auditorium is all up to date-It’s an entirely new place. It needed to be done. It’s been long, it’s been expensive, but in the end, it will be worth it. 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Jockey Silvestre de Sousa pushed himself to the limit to ride out Sunday’s meeting at Sha Tin despite the pain but his win on talented sprinter Wishful Thinker made it all worth it.The star Brazilian was in serious doubt for the meeting after suffering a lower back injury at Happy Valley on Wednesday night and was in noticeable pain after races, but was able to lift the Richard Gibson-trained galloper to victory against just three rivals in the Class One Flamingo Flower Handicap (1,200m) to do… View the full article

Homebred Somelikeithotbrown's performance in the $200,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) matched the mantle of heavy favorite the colt bore March 9 into the starting gate at Turfway Park. View the full article

Not a thing has changed with the way two-time Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots graded stakes winner War of Will has trained, and his connections wouldn't have it any other way. View the full article

True to his previous form, Shadwell Farm's homebred Haikal produced a devastating kick in the last eighth of the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) to capture his second consecutive stakes and his first graded victory. View the full article

New York-bred Espresso Shot rallied from near the back of the pack to earn a three-quarter-length score in the March 9 $250,000 Busher Stakes to close out a lucrative Gotham Day card at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

True to his previous form, Shadwell Farm's homebred Haikal produced a devastating kick in the last eighth of the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) to capture his second consecutive stakes and his first graded victory. View the full article

New York-bred Espresso Shot rallied from near the back of the pack to earn a three-quarter-length score in the March 9 $250,000 Busher Stakes to close out a lucrative Gotham Day card at Aqueduct Racetrack. View the full article

Homebred Somelikeithotbrown's performance in the $200,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks matched the mantle of heavy favorite the colt bore March 9 into the starting gate at Turfway Park. View the full article

A patient ride by Ricardo Santana Jr. delivered an easy win by grade 1 winner Whitmore, a 6-year-old gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect, in his 2019 debut in the listed $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Debby Oxley's Chocolate Kisses earned 50 points and a spot in the gate for the May 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) with her come-from-behind victory in the $200,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) March 9 at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred filly Naughty Joker picked up her first stakes win March 9 in the $100,000 Maxim Crane Bourbonette Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Turfway Park. View the full article

True to his previous form, Shadwell Farm's homebred Haikal produced a devastating kick in the last eighth of the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) to capture his second consecutive stakes and his first graded victory. View the full article

True to his previous form, Shadwell Farm's homebred Haikal produced a devastating kick in the last eighth of the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) to capture his second consecutive stakes and his first graded victory. View the full article

The California racing industry was trying to grapple with the ramifications of the indefinite cancellation of racing at Santa Anita Park March 9 as the closed main track continued to undergo testing. View the full article

A patient ride by Ricardo Santana Jr. delivered an easy win by grade 1 winner Whitmore, a 6-year-old gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect, in his 2019 debut in the listed $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

The new set of safety and welfare protocols that Santa Anita announced will be in place when racing resumes at the facility have triggered mixed emotions among various vested interests–on one side, satisfaction that the track is taking bold steps to tackle high fatality numbers, but on the other, questions marks linger over the logistics involved with implementing some of these steps, as well as the manner in which these measures were formalized. The Stronach Group announced the changes Friday afternoon, and they included a new provision requiring trainers to provide 24-hour advance notice to track officials if they intend to work a horse, in order to give track veterinarians–via past performances, workout data and through physical inspections–time to identify possible “at-risk” horses. Santa Anita has hired additional veterinarians “to observe all horses entering and exiting the track each morning.” An accredited veterinarian will fill the newly created role of Director of Equine Welfare will oversee “all aspects of equine well-being” and will head a new “Rapid Response” team for injuries.” A new “House Rule” requires each horse’s veterinary records to follow that horse through any trainer or ownership change, claim or private sale. A similar program is in place at Gulfstream Park. On Saturday, Santa Anita added flesh to the bones of some of those new protocols. Work slips were handed out to trainers, requiring the following information: work date, trainer name, barn number, and horse name. Trainers could be fined if they don’t submit a request, which is required by noon at the Racing Office the day before the intended work. The Stronach Group COO Tim Ritvo spoke with the TDN Saturday, and expanded on some of the details. “Morning workouts are never monitored,” he said. “We’re going to be asking people to report and get permission to work. If everything is normal, they’ll be allowed to work. If there are ones with suspicious activity, like inconsistent work patterns, they will be flagged and they would have to be examined before they can work. And there may be some horses we decide we don’t need here anymore.” As for the house rule concerning veterinary records, “we’ve done this in other jurisdictions,” Ritvo told TDN. “When horses get claimed and get passed around the vet records should be passed along with them. Then the new trainer will be able to see some of the issues the prior trainer had to deal with. There was initially some push back to this in Florida, then everybody started to like it.” Administrative questions of execution and implementation hover over these same protocols, nonetheless. After a trainers meeting Saturday morning at Santa Anita, California Thoroughbred Trainers executive director, Alan Balch, said that, “we are in favor of doing everything we can to improve the health and safety of these horses.” However, he said the horsemen had also raised a number of questions and concerns about the new protocols, including the approach Santa Anita took to draft them. “I believe that neither of the horseman’s groups were directly or indirectly involved with developing this program,” said Balch. In regards to the 24-hour advance notice for workers rule, Balch said that he and the horsemen were seeking clarification on a “great many issues” pertaining to how the rule might be implemented. This includes how the trainers will be notified if a horse is red-flagged, and how the examining veterinarians will coordinate with the trainers, especially those with large, busy strings. Another important question is how this rule applies to Los Alamitos and San Luis Rey Downs, Balch said. These facilities are all approved stabling areas for Santa Anita, he said, “and we’re going to ask if the same rules apply.” Later Saturday afternoon, Santa Anita’s vice president of racing and racing secretary, Steve Lym, told TDN that the criteria for possibly flagging horses could include those coming back after a long lay-off, horses beaten a wide margin in their last race, and horses on the vet’s list. The intention will be, said Lym, to contact the trainers of flagged horses the afternoon before a scheduled work, to discuss with them possible exculpatory factors as to why the horses has been identified. After that, if necessary, the horses will be examined physically. “I can’t see too many horses that need to be looked at,” said Lym, who added that the new director of equine welfare will be the one conducting the examination. Until that position is filled, there are a number of track and state vets who could temporarily fill the role, he said. “We’ve got lots of help with the vets here.” If a horse is subsequently found to be unsound, “and obviously unsound, then of course it will have to be put on a vet’s list to come off it again,” he said. “But this is just a check. So, if we flag a horse who hasn’t run in, say, a year, and we take a look at that horse, we talk to the trainer and it’s been galloping for six weeks and it looks good, we’re not going to stop that horse from working and getting ready to race.” At the moment, the program will be focused on Santa Anita, though Lym added there have been discussions about expanding it to San Luis Rey Dows. “Look, we have some of the best horsemen and horses in North America here,” Lym added. “We’re not questioning that. We’re just putting on some safety measures we think are prudent right now. Check and double check.” In regards to the house rule concerning veterinary records, Balch said there might be a number of legal issues preventing Santa Anita from implementing it. “The medical records aspect of this is going to need a lot of work,” said Balch. “Things that are administratively and legally possible in Florida may not be possible here. In California, owners have certain responsibilities. There are certain privacy issues.” Interestingly, the CHRB is soon expected to put out for the 45-day public comment period a proposed rule to transfer the medical records of horses claimed in a claiming race. Santa Anita has also expanded from 10 minutes to 15 the time designated for workers after a break on the track. “This doesn’t sound like much, but for a trainer with a small string trying to get two sets out there in the remaining time, that could be an issue. I’m not saying it’s trivial, but it’s a detail, and that’s the type of thing we’d like to discuss,” said Balch. “We should be working on these things together,” said Balch, who added that he hoped to be meeting with Santa Anita management soon, possibly on Saturday. “We are in the same sport, and certainly [Ritvo’s] points about the health and welfare of the horses and riders being paramount importance, we believe that and we always have.” California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) executive director, Rick Baedeker, said that his initial reaction to the new safety protocols at Santa Anita was, “good, we need to show the world we’re going to change to protect the horse, and to protect the game itself.” Baedeker confirmed that the new steps would be in addition to the safety protocols already in place. He added that the description of the new director of equine welfare matches that of the CHRB’s equine medical director. “I think it’s a good thing,” Baedeker added. “It’s a good match of the regulator and the racetrack.” In a statement, Alex Waldrop, president and chief executive officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said that the new steps Santa Anita has taken are “among the most progressive” in all of horse racing. “We applaud track officials for taking these important steps which will lead to a safer racing environment for humans and equines.” View the full article

A patient ride by Ricardo Santana Jr. delivered an easy win by grade 1 winner Whitmore, a 6-year-old gelded son of Pleasantly Perfect, in his 2019 debut in the listed $150,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park. View the full article

Horses' body weights March 10 View the full article

Another brilliant last-gasp win to the Collection View the full article

Sacred Croix makes it three in a row View the full article

Cloud Shadow rains down on favourite’s parade View the full article

Vittoria Perfetta shows vast improvement at second run View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings March 10 View the full article

SOMELIKEITHOTBROWN (c, 3, Big Brown–Marilyn Monroan, by Tapit), the prohibitive 3-5 chalk in Saturday’s GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks off the strength of his local John Battaglia Memorial S. romp last month, ran to the public’s opinion to post a three-length front-running tally. Battaglia runner-up Dynamic Racer (Run Away and Hide) completed the exacta again–this time at 45-1–while Moonster (Malibu Moon) further spiced up the trifecta at 59-1. The winner was second in both the GIII With Anticipation S. and GII Pilgrim S. on the grass in New York last term before finishing a close third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Lifetime Record: 7-3-2-1. O-Skychai Racing LLC & Sand Dollar Stables. B-Hot Pink Stables & Sand Dollar Stables (NY). T-Michael J Maker. View the full article