Casse holds stellar hands in Woodbine stakes

Juveniles from the barn of six-time Sovereign Award-winning

trainer Mark Casse are certain to be a factor in Sunday's co-featured C$150,000,

Grade 3 stakes -- the

Grey and

Mazarine

-- on Sunday at

Woodbine.

Sunday's key events, both at a distance of 1 1/16 miles on

the Polytrack, will serve as

Breeders' Cup preps for Casse's

Conquest Stables LLC duo of Conquest Typhoon and Conquest Harlanate, who both

pocketed "Win & You're In" scores in their previous starts.

Conquest Typhoon arrives in the Grey off a 4 1/2-length

score in the grassy Grade 2 Summer Stakes on September 13 while Conquest Harlanate earned a narrow neck decision in the

Grade 2 Natalma, also on Woodbine Mile

weekend.

Both juveniles will head to Santa Anita at the end of the

month to compete in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf,

respectively -- both one-mile races going two turns at

Santa Anita.

Initially, Casse had considered sending Conquest Typhoon to

Keeneland for Sunday's Grade 3 Bourbon, a difficult "Win & You're In"

event, before reconsidering for the Stormy Atlantic bay.

"I thought his race was very strong in the Summer and we contemplated trying

him in the Bourbon at Keeneland, but he's already in (the Breeders' Cup) so why

put such a tough race into him. By staying in Toronto, he doesn't have to travel

and we can get a two-turn race into him," Casse explained.

"The one issue with winning the Summer and Natalma at Woodbine is that they're both one-turn races and when you get to

Santa Anita, it's an entirely different type of race. The same goes for

'Harlanate', we want to get a two-turn race into her."

Conquest Typhoon debuted with a second-place run in the Clarendon Stakes before a narrow neck loss in

a maiden turf sprint prior to his Summer Stakes breakthrough. He will be joined in the Grey

by Flashaway, an Eskendereya dark bay purchased for $500,000 after the colt breezed

an eighth of a mile in :10 at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale.

"He's a big, pretty horse and I liked the way he worked and

I like Eskendereya as a sire," Casse said of the key to the sale.

The Kentucky-bred Flashaway debuted on August 25 with a

3 3/4-length score over next-out winner Ensign Eli.

"Flashaway won't be any pushover that's for sure," Casse added.

Luis Contreras retains the mount on Flashaway, who has

posted four sharp works leading into his first try around two turns.

Joining Conquest Harlanate in the Mazarine will be stablemates

Conquest So True and Dixie Twist.

Conquest Harlanate debuted with a third-place finish in a

July 12 maiden sprint won by Mazarine rival Roaming. Casse moved

the filly to the grass for her second start, a six-furlong maiden sprint, for a tidy 2 3/4-length win

to set up the Natalma score.

"She broke her maiden in a real strong race and I expected

a good performance out of her in the Natalma and she didn't let us down," Casse

said of the Harlan's Holiday bay. "We don't know that she's as good on the synthetic and we would love to

win but the goal is to give her a good experience and get back to the turf."

Conquest So True won a

Polytrack sprint at first asking on July 27 but flattened out following a difficult

trip in an August 22 turf allowance. She has trained forwardly on the

synthetic.

Dixie Twist finished second on debut in the Shady Well before graduating with

a head score over Roaming in the Ontario Debutante. Last time out, the Indian

Charlie filly rallied from 10th under regular pilot Gary Boulanger in the Natalma to finish a distant

fourth behind her stablemate.

"Gary said she didn't handle the soft going down the

backside in the Natalma, but once he got her together she came with a nice run," Casse

stated. "She has proven form on the synthetic and I think she'll run very

well."

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com