Latest news with #MarkCasse
CBS News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Enter Metallica: Sandman has some hard-rocking fans going into the Preakness
Mark Casse was not a Metallica guy until he began training Sandman. Now he is a big fan. The band has returned the favor. Front man James Hetfield met the horse at Churchill Downs before the Kentucky Derby, and he and the rest of Metallica filmed a video for Casse and Co. wishing Sandman well in the Preakness this weekend. "We're excited to cheer on the people's horse, Sandman, who's heading to Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore this Saturday for the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown," Hetfield said. "Metallica would like to wish Sandman and his awesome team good luck for a safe and winning trip at Preakness 150. Enter Sandman!" Metallica also sent shirts to outfit the entire Casse Racing operation. Casse sent a hat signed by Hetfield to a friend and received in return a pair of Metallica-logoed underwear. "I will be wearing them," Casse said. "There'll be no stone unturned." Sandman could use luck turning in his favor after finishing seventh in the Derby. Accustomed to being in the back of the pack, he struggled in the slop as he had more mud kicked back in his face than normal because of the 18 horses ahead of him. "He just never got comfortable," Casse said. "That's why we're here. We're going to throw that one out. Hopefully we get a better track on Saturday, and even if we don't, we're only going to have eight horses throwing mud back at us." Calm River Thames Todd Pletcher-trained River Thames was one of the latest-arriving Preakness horses, getting to Baltimore on Wednesday. The strapping colt took to the track at Pimlico for the first time Thursday morning, galloping a mile under exercise rider Nick Merritt. "Just trying to keep him happy for the race, essentially," Merritt said. "Chill, chill horse. He's taking it all in." Pletcher has won the Derby twice and the Belmont Stakes four times. A Preakness victory is the last thing missing from his Triple Crown resume, and River Thames opened as the 9-2 third choice on the morning line after 8-5 favorite Journalism and Sandman at 4-1. Baffert and Lukas The far corner of the stakes barn at Pimlico during Preakness week has seen many Hall of Fame trainers, including good friends Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas chatting, telling stories and, often, giving each other and anyone within earshot a hard time. They took their buddy comedy on the road for the annual Alibi Breakfast, roasting and poking some fun at fellow trainers. Lukas said he tried to talk Mike McCarthy out of having Journalism in the No. 40 stall usually reserved for the Kentucky Derby winner. "That's the kiss of death — you can't put him in there," Lukas said. "I told him to go over and get him into another stall. Bob said: 'No, no, leave him there. Leave him there.' Don't make him feel comfortable. He's already got the favorite." Baffert responded: "The best horse wins the race, Wayne. It doesn't matter what stall he's in." Lukas and Baffert then turned their attention to Casse, who is based in Ocala, Florida, but is the most accomplished trainer at Woodbine Racetrack outside Toronto. "We've got to watch out for this Mark Casse; he's won the Sovereign Award as leading trainer in Canada about 35 times or something," Lukas said. "What happens in Canada stays in Canada," Baffert quipped. "It's like Vegas, OK?" Lukas chimed back in: "It doesn't count. Mark, nothing counts in Canada."
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Enter Metallica: Sandman has some hard-rocking fans going into the Preakness
BALTIMORE (AP) — Mark Casse was not a Metallica guy until he began training Sandman. Now he is a big fan. The band has returned the favor. Front man James Hetfield met the horse at Churchill Downs before the Kentucky Derby, and he and the rest of Metallica filmed a video for Casse and Co. wishing Sandman well in the Preakness this weekend. 'We're excited to cheer on the people's horse, Sandman, who's heading to Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore this Saturday for the 150th running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown,' Hetfield said. 'Metallica would like to wish Sandman and his awesome team good luck for a safe and winning trip at Preakness 150. Enter Sandman!' Metallica also sent shirts to outfit the entire Casse Racing operation. Casse sent a hat signed by Hetfield to a friend and received in return a pair of Metallica-logoed underwear. 'I will be wearing them,' Casse said. 'There'll be no stone unturned.' Sandman could use luck turning in his favor after finishing seventh in the Derby. Accustomed to being in the back of the pack, he struggled in the slop as he had more mud kicked back in his face than normal because of the 18 horses ahead of him. 'He just never got comfortable,' Casse said. 'That's why we're here. We're going to throw that one out. Hopefully we get a better track on Saturday, and even if we don't, we're only going to have eight horses throwing mud back at us.' Calm River Thames Todd Pletcher-trained River Thames was one of the latest-arriving Preakness horses, getting to Baltimore on Wednesday. The strapping colt took to the track at Pimlico for the first time Thursday morning, galloping a mile under exercise rider Nick Merritt. 'Just trying to keep him happy for the race, essentially,' Merritt said. 'Chill, chill horse. He's taking it all in.' Pletcher has won the Derby twice and the Belmont Stakes four times. A Preakness victory is the last thing missing from his Triple Crown resume, and River Thames opened as the 9-2 third choice on the morning line after 8-5 favorite Journalism and Sandman at 4-1. Baffert and Lukas The far corner of the stakes barn at Pimlico during Preakness week has seen many Hall of Fame trainers, including good friends Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas chatting, telling stories and, often, giving each other and anyone within earshot a hard time. They took their buddy comedy on the road for the annual Alibi Breakfast, roasting and poking some fun at fellow trainers. Lukas said he tried to talk Mike McCarthy out of having Journalism in the No. 40 stall usually reserved for the Kentucky Derby winner. 'That's the kiss of death — you can't put him in there,' Lukas said. 'I told him to go over and get him into another stall. Bob said: 'No, no, leave him there. Leave him there.' Don't make him feel comfortable. He's already got the favorite.' Baffert responded: 'The best horse wins the race, Wayne. It doesn't matter what stall he's in.' Lukas and Baffert then turned their attention to Casse, who is based in Ocala, Florida, but is the most accomplished trainer at Woodbine Racetrack outside Toronto. 'We've got to watch out for this Mark Casse; he's won the Sovereign Award as leading trainer in Canada about 35 times or something,' Lukas said. 'What happens in Canada stays in Canada,' Baffert quipped. 'It's like Vegas, OK?' Lukas chimed back in: 'It doesn't count. Mark, nothing counts in Canada.' ___ AP horse racing:
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
The 2025 Preakness: Post Positions, Odds, And Journalism's Re-Boot
Here's Mud In Your Eye: Sovereignty, left, caked with mud, wins decisively over Journalism, far right, as Baeza, center, flies in on Journalism yards from the finish of the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 03, 2025 in Louisville. (Photo by) At a glance, the Preakness seems to be that somewhat less daunting contest relative to the Kentucky Derby's larger-than-life rugby scrum and to the Belmont Stakes' flat racing approximation of marathon. According to this scale, and despite the 150th running bearing a $2-million purse, the Preakness exercises less impact on its athletes. But historically, exactly that distant, cliched view of the race is the point on which many hundreds of horsemen and their athletes have made a mistake. It's the Preakness' sharp two-week post-Derby timing that delivers such a knockout blow to the athletes. Put differently, there are short run-backs throughout Thoroughbred racing. Then, for the horses that have run in the Kentucky Derby, there is the Preakness. But before we dive headlong into whether Journalism actually has the moxie to win this, or either, of the remaining Triple Crown races, here, a hard look at the field, the post positions and Pimlico's morning line odds. Post Position, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Morning Line (Source: Pimlico, 5/12/2025) That top favorite Journalism drew the two-hole does not seem to be hurting his favorite status at 8-5 in the nine-horse field, while Sandman, Mark Casse trained and breaking from post position seven, is the field's second-favorite. Young gunslinger River Thames, whose owners elected to give him time after running third in the Blue Grass and did not enter him in the Derby, trained by none other than Todd Pletcher, seems to be getting a bit of his own back in the eyes of the Pimlico oddsmakers as the third-favorite in the race at a viable 9-2.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sandman Headed To Pimlico For Preakness
Fan favorite Sandman will be headed to the 150th Preakness at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Md., said trainer Mark Casse. Social media influencer and co-owner of Sandman, Griffin Johnson, also confirmed the news in a post on X. So far, Sandman joins American Promise as the only two horses from the Kentucky Derby field confirmed to run in the Preakness. Journalism, the Derby runner-up, remains a possible starter. Advertisement 'We wanted to see how he came back. He's an extremely happy horse right now. It looks like the race might set up nice for him. It looks like there's a fair amount of speed,' said Casse, who saddled War of Will for a Preakness triumph in 2019. 'I always quote Allen Jerkens, 'Run 'em when they're good,' and he's good right now. We were planning on waiting for the Belmont, but a lot of things can happen in between. He's telling us he's happy so we're going to go with it.' Sandman had a troubled start in the Kentucky Derby, but was able to rally for seventh place. 'I knew when he went by us the first time that we were in big trouble. He obviously wasn't handling the track very well, and you just don't know how that affects them late in the race,' Casse said. 'He made a middle run but did flatten out a little bit. I think War of Will ran seventh in the Derby and won the Preakness, so we're going with that.' Co-owned by D. J. Stable LLC, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, CJ Stables and influencer Griffin Johnson, the son of Tapit already has a Grade 1 victory to his name, winning the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on March 29. The 150th Preakness is on Saturday, May 17, with the post position draw set for Monday, May 12, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Sandman is expected to ship to Pimlico the same day. A decision on his jockey has not yet been made. Jose Ortiz, who rode Sandman in the Arkansas and Kentucky Derbies, committed to ride Clever Again in the Preakness for trainer Steve Asmussen.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Road to Kentucky Derby needs detour. Best horses are being left out of field
Trainer Mark Casse, whose colt Sandman finished second in the Road to Kentucky Derby leaderboard, believes the post draw in the Run for the Roses should reflect the points system. Finish first in points and get first pick in selecting a post. Priority would be given by points on down the list until the 20th horse gets his gate. It'd be a way to ensure the better horses don't get stuck with poor draws and those that barely qualified and have little chance of winning aren't starting from a prime position. Advertisement 'Can we do it this year?' joked Ian Wilkes, trainer of Burnham Square, which finished first in points this year and drew the No. 9 post. Casse believed it could also trickle down to leading more owners and trainers running their horses in more prep races. Trainer Steve Asmussen, who was completely satisfied with his horses Tiztastic and Publisher drawing posts 13 and 14, respectively, agreed. He added that some owners and trainers pull back on prep races once they've scored enough to comfortably be in the Derby field, but rewarding them might foster competing for more points. "Anything that incentivizes somebody to run more is a good thing for racing," Asmussen said. Advertisement Saturday's draw was not a good thing for Casse. Sandman will operate out of post 17, which has historically been one of the worst positions, and its lone winner was Rich Strike in 2022. American Promise, which was listed at 30-1 odds, drew the favorable No. 5 post. 'We've ran, and we've ran hard; we should be rewarded for that,' Casse said. '(Now) it's just the luck of the draw.' Trainer Bob Baffert, who makes his return to Churchill Downs after a three-year suspension, received the dreaded No. 1 post with Citizen Bull. Baffert facetiously said he wanted to challenge the draw, but noted he liked the process better when they drew an order of selection and trainers got to pick their own post position. Advertisement It's a good idea to try as much as possible to deny luck from playing a part in what is annually the most visible and important two minutes in horse racing. But the post draw is far from being the most important matter until the point system itself is refined. There are worthy horses who don't get in the field. There are, let's just say, less-than-worthy horses that do. And that needs to change. Even if it didn't have an impact on the outcome of the race with so many intangibles factoring into a 20-horse field, trainer Todd Pletcher said rewarding the points winner with picking its post could bring some intrigue to the process. 'Anything we can do to spice it up a little bit is good,' Pletcher said. Advertisement Trainer Brad Cox believes there should be some wiggle room for automatic berths in the Derby field. He'd start with the Breeders' Cup Juvenile race, for 2-year-old colts and geldings, which has produced six Derby winners since 1984, including Street Sense in 2007 and Nyquist in 2016. (The Baffert-trained Derby entrant Citizen Bull won it in November.) Cox would like to give Grade 1 races for 2-year-olds like the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park and Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland (won by Derby entrant East Avenue) more weight in the points system. It would provide an avenue for owners and trainers to race in fewer prep races for the overall benefit of the horse's health. 'Maybe only have one prep leading up, if you choose to do that, because there are small, nagging things with horses at times that need to be addressed, and I do think the Derby can kind of put (addressing) those things on hold,' Cox said. Advertisement Kenny McPeek, who became the first trainer since 1952 to sweep the Kentucky Oaks and Derby last year, sees a glaring hole in the points system. McPeek believes 'the best one or two fillies' should have an option to compete in the Kentucky Derby. McPeek should know. He partnered his Oaks winner, Thorpedo Anna, with his Derby winner, Mystik Dan, for much of their early training. McPeek not only believes Thorpedo Anna could have competed against the colts, he thinks she could have won the Derby last year. 'No filly will ever win it again until they change the point system,' McPeek said. The good thing is the point system is constantly being tweaked to get it right. The bad news is one of those recent changes tweaked a potential contender right out of the race. Advertisement Baeza finished second to Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby, which has seen 19 starters and 10 of its winners go on to win the Kentucky Derby. But this year's race only had five starters, including Citizen Bull. Because of the rules change, only 75% of points were awarded since the field size shrunk, leaving Baeza to collect just 37.5 points instead of 50. Had it been awarded the full number for a second-place finish, Baeza would be tied with Flying Mohawk and Grande at 15th on the leaderboard, after Saturday's news of Tappan Street's scratch, and comfortably in the Derby field. Instead, Baeza may have to look toward the Preakness Stakes unless one more horse has to withdraw from the field. Ensuring the Kentucky Derby gets the 20 best 3-year-olds should never come down to the luck of the draw. Advertisement Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@ follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at to make sure you never miss one of his columns. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2025: Run for Roses at Churchill Downs could use tweak
