Casse enters a trio in Selene Stakes, a Woodbine Oaks prep

Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will send out a trio of contenders in Saturday’s Grade 3 Selene Stakes.

A local prep for the Woodbine Oaks on July 20, the Selene, an open race for 3-year-old fillies, includes Casse runners Ella It Is, No Time and Tiz Her Money. 

Ella It Is, 7: 2-2-0, will make her fourth career stakes appearance when she goes postward Saturday. 

The daughter of Point of Entry out of the Silent Name mare Our Ella, finished second in both the Victorian Queen and South Ocean last year, and was seventh, albeit just 3 1/2 lengths behind the winner, in the 2024 running of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes. 

Ella It Is heads into the Selene on a winning note.

On June 1, the bay filly shook clear in a 1 1/16-mile main track race at Woodbine and went on to notch a 3 3/4-length victory in 1:46.17. 

“It’s a step up for her,” assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan said. “But she ran a great race last time out. She’s run in stakes before and finished second twice in stakes races as a 2-year-old. We hope she can build from that last race and produce a big effort this time.” 

Ella It Is debuted last July and finished seventh but rebounded with a smart two-length score in a 6 ½-furlong main track race, also at the Toronto oval, that was originally scheduled for the turf. ?

René and Darlene Hunderup, of Heste Sport Inc., bred and own Ella It Is. Working out of their home base, Norse Ridge Farms, in King, Ontario, northeast of Woodbine, the couple has enjoyed great success over the years as breeders and owners of Thoroughbreds and quarter horses. 

No Time, a daughter of Not This Time out of the Red Ransom mare Count to Three, also arrives at the Selene off an authoritative win.

Owned by Gary Barber, the dark bay filly ran unfettered on the lead as the 5-2 choice in a 1 1/16-mile main-track race June 1 at Woodbine and crossed the wire four lengths ahead of her nearest rival in 1:44.24.

“That was a very good performance,” Sullivan said. “She took the lead early and just went on from there. She did it all very confidently, so we are looking for her to come back with another strong outing in the Selene.” 

No Time brings a 6: 2-0-1 record into her third stakes appearance. She was fourth, elevated to third, in the Cup & Saucer and eighth in the Mazarine (G3), both last year.

She was steadied sharply in her career bow last August and finished eighth but won next time out in a 1 1/16-mile turf race Sept. 14. 

“The (Woodbine) Oaks is the goal with No Time and Ella It Is, so we are hoping they can keep continuing to step up, starting with the Selene,” Sullivan said. 

Bred by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, No Time was a US$250,000 purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga select yearling sale. 

Tiz Her Money endured a rough trip in her 3-year-old debut, a fifth at Gulfstream on April 10, but just like her stablemates, made a trip to the winner’s circle in her next start.

The daughter of Tiz the Law out of the Rahy mare Money Madness banked her most recent victory in a seven-furlong trek over the Woodbine main track on June 14.

Settled at the back of the eight-horse field through the half, the bay filly shifted four wide at the three-furlong pole and swooped her rivals on the way to a half-length score in 1:24.48.

“She is also stepping up to graded-stakes company, so it’s a pretty big move up,” Sullivan said. “But just like No Time and Ella It Is, she had a big win in her last race as well. I also think she has something left in the tank.” 

Tiz Her Money debuted with a fifth at 1 1/16 miles on the Saratoga inner turf last August and was then fourth in a 1 1/16-mile test over the turf in her next start. 

In her third race, at 1 mile and 70 yards on the Woodbine main track, she stumbled badly to her knees at the start and was walked off.

Tiz Her Money’s penultimate race of her 2-year-old campaign yielded a second over one mile on the Woodbine inner turf Oct. 24. She recovered from a poor start in her curtain-closing race of 2024 and won by 1 1/2 lengths in a 1 1/16-mile race on the main track for her maiden victory. 

She sports a 7: 2-1-0 record for owner Peter Deutsch.

Bred in Kentucky by RTA Family Trust and George E. Saufley, Tiz Her Money was a US$55,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September yearling sale.