Breeders Cup: Gretzky the Great tops Casse contenders

He’s an American, but trainer Mark Casse will provide a definite Canadian flavour at the Breeders’ Cup.

Five of the six horses Casse will run at Keeneland have ties to Canada. Gretzky the Great is the lone Canadian-bred, but fillies Dirty Dangle and Got Stormy, along with March to the Arch and War of Will, have all run at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack.

Spanish Loveaffair, a two-yearold filly, is the only one of the six to have never run in Canada.

“I’ve been racing now at Woodbine for 25 years and I’m very proud of that,” Casse said during a phone interview. “I also feel like it’s a responsibility (representing Canada aboard) and I take it very seriously.

“I also have three children who are Canadian.”

At least Casse and his wife, Tina, will be able to watch their horses this weekend, after both tested negative for COVID-19.

Gretzky the Great has finished in the money in all four races this year (three wins, second). The two-year-old is coming off a solid victory with Kazushi Kimura aboard in the Summer Stakes, a mile-long turf race Sept. 20 at Woodbine.

American Tyler Gaffalione will ride Casse’s horses, including Gretzky the Great on Friday in the $1-million (U.S.) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. That’s because quarantine restrictions on both sides of the border make it very difficult for Woodbinebased jockeys to make the trek to Lexington, Ky.

“Gretzky the Great has done everything well, he’s done everything right,” Casse said. “He’s a big, beautiful horse, he’s a beautiful-moving horse. We’re going to go from a one-turn mile to a two-turn mile (at Keeneland) and I think that’s actually to his advantage. He has a lot of speed and normally two turns help the speedier horses.”

Gretzky the Great, an early 8-1 pick, will be one of 14 horses in the field and break from the No. 11 post. “We got a little unlucky on the draw (but) it’s not terrible,” Casse said. “There’s a lot of challenges.

The horse was named after hockey legend Wayne Gretzky by owner Gary Barber, a film producer and the former head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. Gretzky, of course, spent time in Southern California with the L.A. Kings.

“Gary is a huge, huge sports fan,” Casse said. “I’m hoping one day (Gretzky the Great) is good enough that maybe Wayne comes to see him.