TORONTO — It's a path that's twice taken Mark Casse to the King's Plate winner's circle.
Five of the 12-horses in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on Sunday will be Casse trainees. The Hall of Fame trainer will be vying for a record-tying fifth Oaks victory.
And twice, the Oaks has provided Casse with the winner of the $1-million King's Plate, the crown jewel of thoroughbred racing in this country and opening event of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. This year's event is slated for Woodbine Racetrack on Aug. 16.
In 2014, Lexie Lou completed the Oaks-Plate double, earning Casse, 64, of Indianapolis, his first title. Four years later, Wonder Gadot crossed the finish line first following a second-place finish in the Oaks.
Casse's last Plate victory came in '23 with Paramount Prince, which finished ahead of Oaks champion Elysian Field, another Casse-conditioned horse.
It's already been an eventful week for Casse, who's been named Canada's top trainer an unprecedented 16 times. He earned his 4,000th career victory Thursday at Colonial Downs Racetrack in Virginia.
The Oaks is the opening event of the Canadian Triple Tiara for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies. The 1 1/8-mile race on Woodbine's synthetic track is also a key prep for the 1 1/4-mile Plate, which is also run on synthetic.
Also on Sunday's card is the $150,000 Plate Trial, a 1 1/8-mile race for three-year-olds that goes on the same surface. Having the two races on the same day provides insight as to how the two race winners compare heading into the King's Plate.
Casse's five horses in the Oaks: Ella It Is, No Time, Shifty, War Signal, and Winterberry.
“Shifty is probably the most talented (of the group)," Casse said. “She has her quirks.
"If she can settle and get into a good rhythm, she will be tough. She’s very talented.”
Shifty has finished in the money four times over seven career starts (two wins, twice third) and amassed $152,037 in earnings. She won her three-year-old debut May 11 before finishing third in the seven-furlong Fury Stakes on June 7.
No Time has two wins and a third-place finish from seven starts. She heads into the Oaks off a fourth-place effort in the Grade 3 $150,000 Selene Stakes at Woodbine on June 28.
“I think No Time is a sleeper,” said Casse. “I think she has a very good pedigree — both her and Shifty have very nice pedigrees.
"She is not easy to ride. She is another one that if she is happy, she is going to be tough."
Ella It Is has two wins and two second-place finishes over eight starts. She'll make a fifth career stakes appearance Sunday.
“She has shown she can run well,” said Casse. “She has to step up her game now.
"This will be a test for her. She is really only one of my fillies in this race who can settle."
War Signal will make her seventh start Sunday, having amassed two wins and a third-place finish. She was sixth versus the boys in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes on June 28, just two lengths behind winner Mansetti.
“She ran well in the Marine … I thought she hung in there," Casse said. "She is another one who likes to be up close to the lead.”
Winterberry has three wins from six starts.
"She is coming into the Oaks better than ever," Casse said. "I'm still not 100 per cent sure she can get the mile and an eighth, but she is very talented.
"Every rider is going to do their own thing. I'm not giving any instructions. I think the break is going to be very important, and how each rider can get their horse to settle going into the first turn."
Casse will also have a horse in the Plate Trial. The 10-horse field includes Regal Guest, who'll be ridden by Patrick Husbands. Husbands has the distinction of having ridden the last Canadian Triple Crown winner, that being Wando in 2003.
Also in running in the race will be Scorching, who was second to Mansetti in the Marine. The dark bay colt was making his three-year-old debut following a layoff since Oct. 6.
“I was surprised by the performance,” said trainer John Charalambous. “He ran according to the way we wanted him to race — not the result, but how he sat off the pace."
Other starters included Notorious Gangster (Queenston Stakes winner and last year's Coronation Futurity Stakes victor); Dewolf ('24 Bull Page Stakes winner), Unbridled Weather ('24 Frost King Stakes winner) and Regal Guest (second in '25 Queenston Stakes).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.
The Canadian Press
