Casse sends out a pair to kick off meet in Star Shoot Stakes
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Perennial leading Woodbine trainer Mark Casse sends out the talented comebackers Winterberry and Charlotte’s Heart in Saturday’s opening day feature, the $125,000 Star Shoot Stakes. The question handicappers must ponder is whether they can handle the winter-raced runners in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies.
Winterberry should be favored under Patrick Husbands, who won a remarkable 15 stakes aboard Casse horses during the 2024 Woodbine meet.
Winterberry was scratched several times before romping on debut in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special in August. She subsequently ran sixth against the boys in the Grade 1 Summer on the grass and won the seven-furlong Glorious Song Stakes with an 82 Beyer Speed Figure. She finished a flat fifth as the prohibitive favorite in the restricted Shady Well Stakes going six furlongs on Nov. 23.
Charlotte’s Heart will be ridden by last year’s runaway leading rider Sahin Civaci. She rallied wide from sixth to land her 5 1/2-furlong debut on the turf in August at Saratoga before closing for second in the Glorious Song. She came up empty as the 9-5 second choice when ninth in the Grade 3 Mazarine over 1 1/16 miles on Nov. 3.
Casse said via text that both runners are ready to roll. The fact that each of them graduated at first asking shows that they can run strongly when fresh. Winterberry’s early foot compliments Charlotte’s Heart’s laid-back style, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them finish one-two.
No stranger to stakes success at Woodbine, trainer Kelsey Danner entered the Turfway Park-based runners Brindi and Listen and Learn.
Brindi notched a first-level allowance/optional claimer three back in her first Tapeta start, after which she ran seventh in the Valdale Stakes and fourth in the Serena’s Song Stakes. She will be adding Lasix but has failed to exceed 70 on the Beyer scale.
“She showed a lot more heart in the Serena’s Song,” Danner said. “She was in between horses, and I don’t think she really loves that. I felt she improved.”
Listen and Learn ran hot and cold in her four races against maiden special opposition in Kentucky. The closer earned a 71 Beyer when graduating easily over six furlongs March 22 at Turfway.
Rounding out the field are Salt and Social Code.
Salt beat maidens second time out on the main turf last July before ending up fifth in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes and fourth in the Mazarine. In her first try for trainer Brendan Walsh in the Feb. 21 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway, she was a non-threatening sixth going a mile.
Social Code annexed her debut on the Tapeta here in September for trainer Steve Flint. The big dark bay has been idle since finishing a well-beaten fourth in a Dec. 12 optional-claiming dirt route at the Fair Grounds.
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