Casse holding pair of aces for Victoriana Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse entered the popular Canadian champion Lexie Lou and Conquest Strate Up in Saturday’s $125,000 Victoriana Stakes at Woodbine.

Lexie Lou was voted Canada’s 2014 Horse of the Year after capturing the Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks. She snapped a five-race losing streak three starts back when taking the Grade 2 Nassau here May 29. Just 13 days later at Belmont Park, she checked in 10th, 7 1/4 lengths behind the victorious Celestine, in the Grade 1 Just a Game.

“She didn’t really run badly there,” Casse said. “It was just a tough race. She only got beat a couple of lengths for second, and the winner is a pretty good horse.”

Lexie Lou ran a corker most recently in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly in front of a boisterous Queen’s Plate crowd. After holding a clear lead through the turn, it looked like she was going to get swallowed up in the stretch, but she rebroke in the final furlong to prevail by daylight over Strut the Course.

“She’s matured and seems to be in the best form of her life, or pretty close to it,” said Casse.

Casse said there’s an outside chance that Lexie Lou could be scratched in favor of the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington on Aug. 13.

“We’re leaning towards running Saturday,” he said.

A field of seven Ontario-sired females was drawn for the 1 1/16-mile Victoriana, which is race 8 on an appealing 10-race program.

Victoriana, Race 8

KEY CONTENDERS

Lexie Lou, by Sligo Bay
Last 3 Beyers: 92-92-93

◗ The times of the Dance Smartly are in question. Run 66 feet short of nine furlongs, the original Trakus fractions for the race were far too fast, but the 1:44.89 final time wasn’t far off the hand-timed backup of 1:44.45. The origin of the times that now appear on the chart – 23.84 seconds, 46.38, 1:09.70, 1:33.64, and 1:45.97 – are a mystery.

Conquest Strate Up, by Not Bourbon
Last 3 Beyers: 85-74-85

◗ Last year’s La Prevoyante Stakes winner finished a lapped-on third in her season opener July 1 in the seven-furlong Zadracarta Stakes, going a distance that is a little short for her.

“I thought she ran a heck of a race,” Casse said. “It was probably one of her better races.”

Internal Bourbon, by Not Bourbon
Last 3 Beyers: 86-84-81

◗ She put an end to her “seconditis” by winning her last two starts, most notably the Zadracarta, her first stakes success.