Casse Readies Three for Queen's Plate
Six-time Sovereign Award-winning trainer Mark Casse will send out three hopefuls in the $1 million Queen's Plate, Sunday July 6 at Woodbine.
While he has yet to win Canada's most famous horse race, Casse trainees have acquitted themselves well recently. Hippolytus finished second to Inglorious as a 61-1 shot in 2011; filly Dixie Strike was third to Strait of Dover in 2012, and last year, among his four starters, Dynamic Sky finished third while filly Spring in the Air was fourth.
His three entrants this year are led by another filly, Lexie Lou, a dominant winner of the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, on June 15; Majestic Sunset, runner-up to likely Plate favourite We Miss Artie in the Plate Trial and Matador, recent allowance winner and victor in last year's Cup and Saucer.
Patrick Husbands, who won the 2003 Plate (and Triple Crown) aboard Wando, pilots Lexie Lou; Gary Boulanger, who won the 2001 edition of the Queen's Plate with Dancethruthedawn, will be aboard Majestic Sunset while Julien Leparoux handles Matador.
Lexie Lou, purchased by Gary Barber from owner-trainer John Ross after her season opener, a fourth-place finish to Barber's Zensational Bunny in the Star Shoot, will command plenty of support as she seeks to become the 35th filly to win both the Oaks and the Plate, and the first since Inglorious in 2011.
In the Oaks, Lexie Lou took over turning for home and widened at will, posting a four and one-half length score in 1:49.77 for the mile and one-eighth Canadian-bred three-year-old filly classic, a full second faster than We Miss Artie took in winning the Plate Trial a race earlier. The daughter of Sligo Bay-Oneexcessivenite recorded a career best and field high 92 Beyer on Polytrack for the performance.
"You can't ever expect an effort like that," said Casse. "That was just outstanding. We felt like she was going into the race very good and we thought by taking the blinkers off her, she would settle some and that would help her. We've won a few Oaks (Kimchi, 2006, Sealy Hill, 2007) but that was probably as strong a performance as any three-year-old filly we've ever had.
"I don't have a problem running fillies in the Plate," said Casse. "I wouldn't trade our chances with anybody. I'm excited. If she brings her A game, they'll have to beat her. She doesn't have to top that last effort, just run back to it."
All three worked over the weekend, readying for the Plate.
Lexie Lou drilled five furlongs in 1:02 2/5, breezing over the Polytrack on Saturday.
Matador and Majestic Sunset also went five furlongs over the Poly. The former breezed in 1:01 2/5, while the Plate Trial runner-up was clocked in 1:01, breezing.