Casse Holds Strong Hands in Grey, Mazarine

With multiple entries in both the Grey and Mazarine (both Can-III) stakes, trainer Mark Casse is a strong threat to sweep both juvenile events Oct. 5 on the Woodbine Polytrack.



That would be a first for the multiple Sovereign Award-winning conditioner, although the 53-year-old Casse has enjoyed tremendous success in both  1 1/16-mile races in recent years. Casse has used these races in the past to test the waters for possible Breeders' Cup starts.



In the Grey, he'll have an uncoupled double-barreled entry with Conquest Typhoon and Flashaway for his top clients Conquest Stables and John Oxley.



Two races later on the card, Casse will have a triple threat in the Mazarine, restricted to fillies, with Conquest Harlanate and Conquest So True for Ernie Semersky and Dory Newell's Conquest Stables and Oxley's Dixie Twist.



The Grey, which Casse last won in 2011 with Prospective  , attracted a field of eight 2-year-olds. It is race 6 on the card with a 3:40 p.m. EDT scheduled post.



Conquest Typhoon comes off a 4 1/2-length victory in the Summer Stakes (Can-IIT) on yielding turf going a mile and returns to the poly for the first time since running second in the Clarendon Stakes in his career debut July 12. Go-to rider Patrick Husbands is back aboard the son of Stormy Atlantic   for Casse, a three-time Grey winner.



He'll also send out Flashaway, a $500,000 son of Eskendereya   purchased by Casse on Oxley's behalf out of the Wavertree Stables consignment in March at the Fasig-Tipton Florida select 2-year-olds in training sale. Flashaway has had one start to date, graduating over maidens by 3 3/4 lengths going six furlongs Aug. 24. Luis Contreras rides.



Ken and Sarah Ramsey's International Star was supplemented to the race by trainer Mike Maker in his first start since finishing second in the With Anticipation Stakes (gr. IIT) on the turf at Saratoga Race Course.



Others of note are Vandal Stakes winner Imperial Dream, who could not stay with Conquest Typhoon on the grass in the Summer and wound up seventh, and third-place Summer finisher U S Marshal.



Casse will be seeking his third consecutive win in the Mazarine, race 8 which has a field of seven, and his fifth overall. He won last year's running with Madly Truly and with Spring Venture in 2012.



Conquest Harlanate is back on the synthetic track after back-to-back wins on turf including the Natalma Stakes (Can-IIT) by a neck Sept. 13. She ran third in her maiden debut over Polytrack at five furlongs July 12. Conquest So True will be making her stakes debut after placing fourth following a rough stretch run in an allowance race Aug. 22 on turf. Husbands is named on both fillies.



Dixie Twist, to be ridden by Gary Boulanger, was fourth in the Natalma after winning the listed Ontario Debutante over Polytrack Aug. 9.



Others in the field are Ontario Debutante runner-up Roaming and Brooklynsway and Quidi Vidi, first and second, respectively in the OLG Muskoka Stakes Aug. 27.