Casse Aims for Third Consecutive Dominion Day

Saddling three of the seven expected starters, trainer Mark Casse will try to grab a third straight victory in the Dominion Day Stakes (Can-III) on Wednesday, July 1 at Woodbine.

After saddling Sky Captain to victory in last year's Dominion Day and Delegation in the 1 1/4-mile main-track race in 2013, Casse this year will try for a third straight win with Jed Cohen's Mystery Train, Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Patrioticandproud, and Live Oak Plantation's Florida Won.

The speedy Mystery Train, a group I winner in Argentina, picked up his first U.S. stakes victory in his previous start when the 5-year-old Not For Sale ridgling posted a front-running victory in the June 6 Evangeline Mile Stakes for trainer Darrell Vienna. The Dominion Day will mark his debut for Casse, and the Polytrack will present a challenge for Mystery Train, who finished off the board in his only previous try on a synthetic surface in last year's Pacific Classic (gr. I) at Del Mar.

Patrioticandproud will be starting from the outside in the expected field of seven after leading at every call to win a June 13 allowance-optional claiming race at Woodbine that was moved from the turf to the main track. The 6-year-old stakes-winning Pennsylvania-bred Proud Citizen   gelding will try to secure the first graded stakes of his career.

Starting from the inside post will be Florida Won, who closed out his 2014 season with a victory in the Ontario Derby (Can-III) at Woodbine. The Birdstone   colt will try to improve off his fifth-place finish in a May 22 allowance-optional claiming race on the Woodbine turf that marked his 4-year-old season debut.

The Casse trio will face some tough competition from Twin Creeks Racing Stable's Red Rifle, who won last year's Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (gr. II) at this distance; and Canada's champion 3-year-old male of 2011 Pender Harbour. The veteran son of Philanthropist   enters off a victory in a June 6 restricted stakes at Woodbine.