Winterberry Among Five for Casse in Woodbine Oaks

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will aim for his fifth win in the CA$500,000 Woodbine Oaks July 20, when he brings a five-horse contingent to the 1 1/8-mile race over the all-weather track at Woodbine. A wide-open field of 12 Ontario-bred 3-year-old fillies will line up in the Oaks.

Top runners from the Oaks—as well as Sunday's CA$150,000 Plate Trial Stakes—will often move forward to contest the prestigious King's Plate Stakes, slated for Aug. 16 at Woodbine. 

Casse's most recent win in the Oaks came in 2023 with Gary Barber and Team Valor International's Elysian Field . Prior to that, he won in 2006 with Kimchi; 2007 with Sealy Hill; and 2014 with multiple graded stakes winner Lexie Lou . 

He will have five chances at securing a fifth win in the race with a pair of stakes-placed fillies in War Signal  and No Time , multiple stakes-placed Ella It Is , graded stakes-placed Shifty , and the multiple stakes-winning Winterberry .

D. J. Stable's Winterberry broke her maiden on debut last summer by 5 1/2 lengths. The daughter of Frosted   most recently won the Fury Stakes at Woodbine June 7, beating Nata Trouble , stablemate Shifty, and Aristella, all of whom she will face again Sunday.

"She is interesting in that we thought all along that she was a sprinter," Casse said of the filly with $168,030 in purse earnings. "But she has really matured. She was scratched twice before she ever ran because of her antics. I talked to (jockey) Patrick (Husbands) the other day after he worked her, and he told me that she is a different horse. I know that he is excited about her running.

"Winterberry may keep going. She is coming into the Oaks better than ever. I am still not 100% sure she can get the mile and an eighth, but she is very talented."

D. J. Stable also owns Shifty, a well-bred daughter of Medaglia d'Oro  . She will be looking to rebound off a disappointing third-place finish in the Fury Stakes. Prior to that, she won an allowance optional claiming race May 11. Sahin Civaci will ride.

"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."

Gary Barber's No Time comes into the race off a fourth-place finish in the Selene Stakes (G3) June 28. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has the mount Sunday. 

"I think No Time is a sleeper," Casse said. "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."

Trainer Kevin Attard, who has two wins in the Oaks under his belt, will send out D'aurum , who is winless in seven starts. 

Scorching Looks to Catch Fire in Plate Trial

Ten 3-year-old males were entered in the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial, led by Scorching , a last-out second in the 1 1/16-mile Marine Stakes (G3) at Woodbine June 28.

Trained by John Charalambous for Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch, the 3-year-old son of Mo Town   won two stakes last year as a 2-year-old before falling a length short in the Marine, his first start the year. A poor start in the Marine compromised his chances.

Other leading Plate Trial contenders include Notorious Gangster , Regal Guest , and Dewolf —the 1-2-3 finishers from the June 8 Queenston Stakes.