Casse considering King and His Court for Display

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Leading trainer Mark Casse celebrated his 16th stakes win of the season and 92nd win of the meet with Let It Ride Mom in Saturday’s Glorious Song Stakes. There are just two weeks of racing left to go, and Casse should be well represented in the final stakes races of the meet as he looks to record 100 wins in a Woodbine season for the second time.

Coronation Futurity winner King and His Court and runner-up State of Honor, both trained by Casse, could return in the $125,000 Display Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta on Dec. 3. Casse could have as many as three runners in the race, with recent maiden winner Vanish also being considered for the Display.

King and His Court was a recent private purchase by owners Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable. He paid immediate dividends in his first start for his new connections with a 2 1/4-length victory in the Coronation Futurity under jockey Gary Boulanger. King and His Court was purchased from owner-trainer Alexander Patykewich, who acquired the son of Court Vision for $3,000 at the 2015 Canadian premier yearling sale.

“We were looking at his pedigree, which suggests that he may like the grass later on,” Casse said. “He was presented to us and Gary and Adam [Wachtel] both have keen eyes, and they were the ones that actually found the horse, picked him out, and ran it by me and asked what I thought. He could be a nice horse.”

Casse said that following the Display King and His Court might get a short break before returning to the races during winter. If he were to run in the Display, it would be King and His Court’s ninth start of his 2-year old season.

“I would consider him one of our top Queen’s Plate candidates, and normally with our Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks horses, I usually try to get a start or two into them over the winter time,” Casse said.

Casse said that State of Honor would likely stay in training after the Display with an eye on a dirt campaign.

King and His Court and State of Honor could run at Gulfstream Park or Fair Grounds, as Casse will once again have strings at both tracks this winter.