Trainer Mark Casse chasing record-tying fifth Woodbine Oaks victory.
Five of the 12-horses in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on Sunday will be Casse trainees. The Hall of Fame trainer will be vying for a record-tying fifth Oaks victory.
And twice, the Oaks has provided Casse with the winner of the $1-million King's Plate, the crown jewel of thoroughbred racing in this country and opening event of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. This year's event is slated for Woodbine Racetrack on Aug. 16.
In 2014, Lexie Lou completed the Oaks-Plate double, earning Casse, 64, of Indianapolis, his first title. Four years later, Wonder Gadot crossed the finish line first following a second-place finish in the Oaks.
Casse's last Plate victory came in '23 with Paramount Prince, which finished ahead of Oaks champion Elysian Field, another Casse-conditioned horse.
It's already been an eventful week for Casse, who's been named Canada's top trainer an unprecedented 16 times. He earned his 4,000th career victory Thursday at Colonial Downs Racetrack in Virginia.
The Oaks is the opening event of the Canadian Triple Tiara for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies. The 1 1/8-mile race on Woodbine's synthetic track is also a key prep for the 1 1/4-mile Plate, which is also run on synthetic.
Also on Sunday's card is the $150,000 Plate Trial, a 1 1/8-mile race for three-year-olds that goes on the same surface. Having the two races on the same day provides insight as to how the two race winners compare heading into the King's Plate.
Casse's five horses in the Oaks: Ella It Is, No Time, Shifty, War Signal, and Winterberry.
'Shifty is probably the most talented (of the group),' Casse said. 'She has her quirks.
'If she can settle and get into a good rhythm, she will be tough. She's very talented.'
Shifty has finished in the money four times over seven career starts (two wins, twice third) and amassed $152,037 in earnings. She won her three-year-old debut May 11 before finishing third in the seven-furlong Fury Stakes on June 7.
No Time has two wins and a third-place finish from seven starts. She heads into the Oaks off a fourth-place effort in the Grade 3 $150,000 Selene Stakes at Woodbine on June 28.
'I think No Time is a sleeper,' said Casse. 'I think she has a very good pedigree — both her and Shifty have very nice pedigrees.
'She is not easy to ride. She is another one that if she is happy, she is going to be tough.'
Ella It Is has two wins and two second-place finishes over eight starts. She'll make a fifth career stakes appearance Sunday.
'She has shown she can run well,' said Casse. 'She has to step up her game now.
'This will be a test for her. She is really only one of my fillies in this race who can settle.'
War Signal will make her seventh start Sunday, having amassed two wins and a third-place finish. She was sixth versus the boys in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes on June 28, just two lengths behind winner Mansetti.
'She ran well in the Marine … I thought she hung in there,' Casse said. 'She is another one who likes to be up close to the lead.'
Winterberry has three wins from six starts.
'She is coming into the Oaks better than ever,' Casse said. 'I'm still not 100 per cent sure she can get the mile and an eighth, but she is very talented.
'Every rider is going to do their own thing. I'm not giving any instructions. I think the break is going to be very important, and how each rider can get their horse to settle going into the first turn.'
Casse will also have a horse in the Plate Trial. The 10-horse field includes Regal Guest, who'll be ridden by Patrick Husbands. Husbands has the distinction of having ridden the last Canadian Triple Crown winner, that being Wando in 2003.
Also in running in the race will be Scorching, who was second to Mansetti in the Marine. The dark bay colt was making his three-year-old debut following a layoff since Oct. 6.
'I was surprised by the performance,' said trainer John Charalambous. 'He ran according to the way we wanted him to race — not the result, but how he sat off the pace.'
Other starters included Notorious Gangster (Queenston Stakes winner and last year's Coronation Futurity Stakes victor); Dewolf ('24 Bull Page Stakes winner), Unbridled Weather ('24 Frost King Stakes winner) and Regal Guest (second in '25 Queenston Stakes).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
19 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Notorious Gangster gives trainer Josie Carroll another shot at King's Plate notoriety
Josie Carroll has an excellent chance to win her fourth King's Plate at Woodbine on Saturday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Notorious Gangster has proven to be near the top of the three-year-old rankings and definitely could join Edenwold, Inglorious and Mighty Heart on the veteran trainer's Plate honour roll. He showed his class with a win in the Queenston Stakes on June 8 and followed that up with a second-place finish in the Plate Trial despite having to overcome a really tough trip. 'He's a very uncomplicated horse. He has a good mind,' Carroll said. 'That's a really important trait on Plate day when there's a huge crowd. 'He's going to have to get a good trip because he's a closer.' Listed as the 9-2 morning-line second choice in the $1-million race, Notorious Gangster also will be looking to end a curse that has been around since 1976: No winner of the Coronation Futurity as a two-year-old has won the Plate since Norcliffe that year. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Fraser Aebly, a B.C. native who is one of the rising stars of Woodbine's jockey colony, will get the ride. He made his Plate debut last year with a 12th-place finish. SEEKING FOUR Carroll isn't the only one looking for a fourth Plate. Rafael Hernandez will be looking to join Robin Platts, Sandy Hawley and the late Avelino Gomez as the only jockeys to win Canada's signature race four times. Hernandez will ride Tom's Magic, a U.S. invader who has exclusively run on the turf in five career starts. A son of U.S. triple crown winner Justify, Tom's Magic has minor stakes wins at both the Fair Grounds and Monmouth so far this year. He does have experience training over Tapeta surfaces at Turfway Park. 'I like the horse a lot,' trainer Michael Stidham said. 'He's done things the right way.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'He's has good preparation coming into this race. I think we're in there with a really live chance.' In 2021, Safe Conduct came north to win the Plate after starting his career in similar fashion. FRIENDLY GHOST The Plate Trial was the last stepping stone before the Plate, one that Sedbury's Ghost handled to perfection. 'He did win pretty easily, I thought,' trainer Barb Minshall said about the July 20 win. 'He's a very nice horse and he's done everything right from Day 1.' Sedbury's Ghost was coming off a fourth-place finish in the Marine Stakes one race prior but had two wins before that. Minshall said the son of 2015 Plate winner Shaman Ghost has matured nicely since last year. 'He was a high-strung horse,' Minshall said. 'He has matured a whole lot. He was calm and professional in the paddock for the Plate Trial.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ryan Munger, who has ridden at Woodbine since 2023 and also races in his native South Africa during the winter, will once again get the assignment. Read More SPECTACULAR DEBUT On July 13, trainer Sid Attard introduced Runaway Again to the public and the son of Hard Spun performed brilliantly with a 9 1/4-length score. That was enough for Attard to take him to the big dance for only his second career race. 'I was kind of surprised,' the Canadian horse racing hall of famer said. 'I never thought he was going to show that. 'He always trains very good. He's not a very big horse but he's strong.' Javier Castellano, who has had success at Woodbine in the past, will be back north to ride. Toronto Maple Leafs World Columnists Crime Toronto & GTA
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Scorching puts Woodbine trainer Charalambous in position to chase King's Plate dream
King's Plate favourite No Time trains ahead of Saturday's race. Michael Burns photo Horse racing is a sport of dreams — everyone who works in the sport in Canada dreams of winning, or at the very least participating in, the King's Plate. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account For the bigger operations, being in the Plate is usually a given. For smaller stables, the wait can be a lot longer. For John Charalambous, that wait was 43 years. Charalambous has been a mainstay on the Woodbine backstretch since he started training thoroughbreds in 1982 at the age of 22, but having a Canadian-bred three-year-old good enough to start in Canada's biggest horse race eluded him. That changes on Saturday when he sends out Scorching in search of the lion's share of the $1 million prize. And at 10-1 in the morning line, he's a contender. 'If this is my first one and only one, I'm in with a very good chance,' Charalambous said. 'I'm excited, but more so, I'm nervous.' A son of Mo Town, Scorching broke his maiden in the Simcoe Stakes last August. He was then beaten by a nose in the Cup and Saucer Stakes, but was promoted to top spot via disqualification. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Scorching then picked up where he left off in June when finishing second to Mansetti in the Marine Stakes. He followed that up with a strong third-place finish in the Plate Trial, giving up a mid-stretch lead late to Sedbury's Ghost and Notorious Gangster. 'I thought he ran really well,' Charalambous said. 'He needed the race because he had a significant amount of time off before his first race of the year.' The only real concern that Charalambous has is Scorching's ability to last 1¼ miles. He has enlisted U.S.-based rider Jose Lezcano to try and squeeze every last inch out of the colt. But don't expect any wasted energy. '(Scorching) is just very professional, enjoys his training, and enjoys everything about being a racehorse,' Charalambous said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mythical Man and Watsonville Red were listed at 50-1 when post positions were drawn at Woodbine on Tuesday. For Watsonville Red, being a longshot winner is nothing new as his maiden score returned $58.90 for two bucks. He was 34-1 in the Plate Trial, but a fourth-place finish made a few superfecta bettors happy and gave trainer Mike De Paulo hope that the long distance of the Plate could produce another large mutuel price. 'I think his strength is that he's a stayer,' De Paulo said. 'If you have a Canadian-bred who is fit, happy and can run long, you have a chance.' Leo Salles was on board Watsonville Red for both the maiden score and the Trial effort so he has again earned De Paulo's confidence here. Mythical Man is a bit of an unknown. Trained by Danny Gargan, best known for his 2024 Belmont Stakes win with Dornoch, Mythical Man won at both Aqueduct and Gulfstream last year, but his only outing this year resulted in a non-factoring seventh-place finish in the minor Manila Stakes at Saratoga. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Mythical Man's greatest strength is that he is a trier,' Gargan said. 'He's a grinder. His biggest thing is that he tries every time.' Sofia Vives, Canada's champion apprentice jockey the past two seasons, gets her first Plate mount. BETTER FORECAST Last year's Plate will be long remembered for the freak rain storm that resulted in a five-day postponement. Saturday's forecast calls for some clouds, but the race should go off without issues. Read More PLATE FIELD 1. Mansetti (Kevin Attard/Pietro Moran*) 10-1 2. William T (Don MacRae/David Moran) 20-1 3. Notorious Gangster (Josie Carroll/Fraser Aebly) 9-2 4. Scorching (John Charalambous/Jose Lezcano) 10-1 5. Mythical Man (Danny Gargan/Sofia Vives) 50-1 6. Faber (Kevin Attard/Pietro Moran*) 30-1 7. Runaway Again (Sid Attard/Javier Castellano) 12-1 8. Dewolf (Kevin Attard/Flavien Prat) 30-1 9. Watsonville Red (Mike De Paulo/Leo Salles) 50-1 10. No Time (Mark Casse/John Velazquez) 7-2 11. Tom's Magic (Michael Stidham/Rafael Hernandez) 5-1 12. Sedbury's Ghost (Barb Minshall/Ryan Munger) 6-1 13. Ashley's Archer (Mark Casse/Sahin Civaci) 12-1 Toronto Blue Jays Canada Toronto Blue Jays World Sunshine Girls
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Filly No Time set as 7-2 early favourite for $1-million King's Plate
TORONTO – Filly No Time has been installed as the 7-2 early favourite for the $1-million King's Plate. The '25 Woodbine Oaks champion received the No. 20 post Tuesday during the race draw at Woodbine Racetrack. No Time will attempt to secure trainer Mark Casse a fourth Plate victory and third by a filly. The first jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown will be run Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack. Notorious Gangster, the 9-2 second choice, will break from the No. 3. Tom's Magic, the 5-1 choice, drew the No. 11 post. A total of 13 horses are scheduled to run in the 1 1/4-mile race on Woodbine's tapeta track. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
