Casse has promising duo in rescheduled Victoria Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse will try to win the $125,000 Victoria Stakes at Woodbine for the sixth time when he sends out Into Diamonds and Mensa in the 5 1/2-furlong dash for 2-year-olds. The race was moved to Friday from last Sunday after that card was canceled due to hot weather.

Into Diamonds is the 2-1 morning-line favorite with Sahin Civaci riding for owners Gary Barber and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. The son of leading sire Into Mischief came wide from fifth to land his 5 1/2-furlong debut in a maiden special on the grass on April 25 at Keeneland.

Into Diamonds has worked four times here on the Tapeta, including a half-mile breeze in 47.60 seconds on June 29 that ranked as the sixth fastest of 109 works at the distance.

Mensa led throughout his 4 1/2-furlong opener on the dirt April 12 at Gulfstream Park, after which he was sold through a Fasig-Tipton digital auction for $740,000 to Resolute Racing. The son of leading freshman sire Complexity has been idle since fading to sixth after attending a quick pace in the five-furlong Kentucky Juvenile Stakes on May 2 at Churchill Downs.

“We’re expecting a big race out of him,” Casse said. “I sent him to Toronto to get him ready for the Summer Stakes. When the dust clears, I think he’s going to be a good grass horse. Same for Into Diamonds. Both horses are training well.”

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Patrick Husbands will ride Mensa, who has worked six consecutive half-miles here on the Tapeta leading up to this event. Mensa and Into Diamonds will both be adding Lasix.

Nathan Squires sends out Sol de Verano, who was a front-running debut winner in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special here May 12. He said the Victoria wasn’t initially on his radar for the son of hot freshman sire Thousand Words.

“There’s nowhere else to run him,” Squires explained. “After he won, we gave him a little break and when we started him back working, he worked terrible. But then, he woke up and worked phenomenal.

“He’s fit and ready, so I’ll take a shot and see what happens. He’s grown up a little bit. He not a heavy horse, but he’s very well proportioned and balanced.”

Your Valentino was a gutsy first-out winner here May 31, when he fought for the lead along the rail before prevailing by a head and then galloped out strongly.

Daisuke Fukumoto will get a leg up from trainer Sandy McPherson on Your Valentino, a son of Tapiture owned and bred by Katie O’Connor.

Shadow Factor rallied inside to win his opening race in a slow 4 1/2-furlong maiden special over the Tapeta on June 5 at Presque Isle Downs. Emma-Jayne Wilson has the call for trainer Ron Potts.

Rounding out the field is the debuting Empower, who has worked quickly for trainer Steve Flint. Ryan Munger will ride the son of freshman sire Higher Power, who won the Grade 1 Pacific Classic.

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