Barn Tour: Mark Casse's expansion plan pays off

Mark Casse, a perennial top 10 trainer, outdid himself in 2025, with his $23.2 million in earnings topping his best years by more than $5 million. His 1,486 starts and 237 wins were career highs. 

He attributed the improvement to an expansion effort. “We went back to Oaklawn last year, which helped some, we won the Arkansas Derby. We had strong, strong Saratoga at all three meets,” Casse told Horse Racing Nation on Tuesday. “It's interesting because we had the worst year we've had at Woodbine since COVID. So that tells you that our focus has changed a little bit and that we're winning a lot more money in the U.S.” 

And look for more expansion later this year.

“At the end of the year with the new Belmont opening, you’ll see us. We haven't had horses in New York for years, 10, 15 years. We'll plan on doing that. So hopefully that works out for us as well.”

Casse also has a pair of newly minted hopefuls for Kentucky Derby 2026 after Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic finished 1-2 Saturday in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn.

He provided updates on the two colts and other stable stars for HRN’s Barn Tour series.

3-year-olds

Strategic Risk. “He came out of his race good” after winning by 4 1/2 lengths, Casse said, and he’s pointed to the Grade 3 Southwest. It was his second straight victory after he won the FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality Stakes. “I thought when he won the Florida stallion stakes, he was very impressive, first time going two turns.” Casse likes this colt’s pedigree, by Noble Bird out of the Afleet Alex mare Strategize. “He's got a really good pedigree on his mom's side. Obviously, not everybody's heard of Noble Bird. I trained Noble Bird, and he was a good horse. Had he not gotten hurt when he was a 2-year-old, you would have known a lot more about Noble Bird. He still ended up being a Grade 1 winner. …  So this horse, I just think, is going to get better and better. The farther they go, the better.”

Silent Tactic. The Tacitus colt owned by John Oxley won his debut at Woodbine and then was second to The Big Con in the Grey Stakes (G3) before the Smarty Jones. “He's a horse that's interesting. My brother bought him as a 2-year-old in March, paid a lot of money for him ($500,000). He was a beautiful horse. We couldn't get him to get out of his own way for a few months. I sent him to Toronto to see if that would wake him up a little ….  Really didn't help him, he really didn't work that good, but we went ahead, we ran him, he ran very well, came back, ran well again, and we decided to send him to Oaklawn to look at their program. And I thought his race was very good. Speed was definitely favoring that day at Oaklawn. He ended up shuffled back, got in trouble two or three times and was able to still come running. So I thought his race probably was better than what it looked.” He’s pointed to the Southwest “maybe, probably.”

Ewing. The Knicks Go colt, who sold for $585,000 as a 2-year-old, won his July debut at Saratoga and then the Saratoga Special (G2) but hasn’t had a start since. “Ewing's at Oaklawn, probably less than 30 days from running. He's training very well.” As for his next start, “I'm not sure yet. I'm going to sprint him first time back. There's a 3-year-old stakes going three-quarters at Oaklawn the second week. … He's got to learn to relax a little bit And I just wouldn't want to bring him back going a route of ground first time, so we're going to sprint him and then we'll decide from there.”

Alpyland. The gelding by Vekoma has won three turf starts in a row, most recently the Dania Beach Stakes at Gulfstream on Thursday, after starting on dirt. “He's getting better and better. By Vekoma, one of my favorite sires.” He likely will start next in the Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream on Jan. 31

Curtain Call. After breaking his maiden at Saratoga in July, this son of Tiz the Law was third in the Hopeful (G1) and sixth in the Champagne (G2), his most recent start. “ I gave him some time off and he's coming back. I'm not really sure, I may try him back on the grass. He's still probably 45 days from running and will probably run at Gulfstream.”

Americathegreat. Purchased for $1.2 million as a yearling and owned by Gary Barber and D.J. Stable, this Curlin filly by the A.P. Indy mare America has a 5: 1-2-0 record. She broke her maiden at Churchill Downs in September in her fourth start, then most recently was fourth in the Rags to Riches Stakes. “She just started back. I just felt like she didn't develop like I wanted her to through the year. I just thought with her pedigree she would get bigger and stronger. I just gave her some time off. She looks well now, and I think she's going to have a big 3-year-old campaign.” She’ll probably start the year at Oaklawn.

Older horses

Nitrogen. The 4-year-old filly by Medaglia d’Oro won six of nine starts last year, including the Ashland (G1), was second in the other three and never has finished out of the money. Most recently, she was second to Scylla in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. “She's going to have her second work here in a couple days. I actually had planned on giving her a little longer, but some horses don't like time off and she doesn't. She was a mad girl when we tried to turn her out. So I put her back in training a couple weeks earlier than I had planned on.” She could return in the Azeri (G2). “That’s tentatively where we’re looking.”

Sandman. The 4-year-old Tapit colt won the Arkansas Derby (G1) last year but was winless since, including a seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Preakness. Casse tried him on turf for his most recent start, and he finished ninth in the Nashville Derby (G3) at Kentucky Downs. “Sandman's doing very well. My plan is to run him in an allowance race, first part of Oaklawn, first part of February, and then aiming for the Razorback (G3)” on Feb. 28.

La Cara. The 4-year-old Street Sense filly earned Grade 1 wins last year in the Acorn and Ashland and most recently was fifth in the Cotillion (G1) in September. “La Cara is doing very well. She is out at Oaklawn. She's going to either run in the (Ladies Classic, G3) at Sam Houston or the Bayakoa (G3). …  It's really unfortunate, the scratch when we had the horse in our barn – not our horse, but somebody else's – that we went in quarantine for a little bit and we had to scratch (from the Coaching Club American Oaks, G1). It really hurt us because it got her out of her kind of race pattern. She just never could get back to the level she was at earlier. But I think she's back there again. She's training very well.”

And One More Time. The 4-year-old Omaha Beach filly won three straight last year, including the Natalma (G1), then was second by a head in the Tropical Park Oaks at Gulfstream in December. She’s pointed to the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G1).

Candy Quest. The 4-year-old filly by Connect, winner of the Ontario Colleen (G3) last year, was fifth in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) in October, her most recent start. “She's doing well. She ships to South Florida tomorrow. She is currently on the outside looking in to get into the Pegasus Filly). So we'll see. If she gets in, then more likely we'll run her.” 

Classic Q. The 4-year-old Classic Empire filly had a 10: 3-2-1 record last year, most recently finishing third in the Mrs. Revere (G2) in November. She also will run in the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf.

Time to Dazzle. The 5-year-old mare by Not This Time got her first win of 2025 in her final race of the year, the Franklin (G2). She is pointed to the 1351 Turf Sprint (G2) and would be Casse’s first runner in Saudi Arabia.

My Boy Prince. The 5-year-old gelding by Cairo Prince had a win, three seconds and a fourth last year before finishing 10th in the Canadian International (G1). “He is going to probably run in the sprint on Pegasus day. … His last race was terrible. We tried to run him long and he did something, he took a funny step or what. But it was terrible. We're going to keep him back probably at a mile or less.”

Vixen. The 4-year-old Vekoma filly finished in the money in her first five starts last year, including a win in the Herecomesthebride (G3). After a break, she returned for one start, finishing 11th in the Valley View (G2) in October. “Vixen's going to run in an allowance race in about 10 days at Gulfstream.”

Dream On. The 4-year-old colt by Not This Time won the Penn Mile (G3) last year and was fourth last out in the Bryan Station (G3). “Dream On's out of action until the middle of the year. He got hurt right after his last race and right now he's doing nothing, just turned out.”

Creed’s Gold. The 5-year-old mare by Jimmy Creed had only four starts last year and won twice, including in the Hendrie (G3) in July, her most recent start. “She won very impressive in her last start, and then she just wasn't 100%. She's done this to me before. I sent her home, turned her out. She's training great, and she's about 30 days from running.” She’ll return at Gulfstream.