Trainer Casse, Flameaway in chase for a spot at Derby

A win at the 2018 Kentucky Derby would fulfil a decades-long dream for Mark Casse and cement his reputation as one of Canada’s top thoroughbred trainers.

Casse is continuing his longtime pursuit of an elusive Derby victory with Ontario-bred colt Flameaway. The horse could solidify its quest to run at Churchill Downs on Saturday with a solid performance in the $1-million US Bluegrass Stakes, a Grade 2 1 1/8-mile dirt race at Keeneland.

Casse, a 57-year-old Indiana native, has left an indelible mark on Canadian racing. Nine times he has been named Canada’s top trainer and has won all three legs of the country’s Triple Crown. Two years ago, he was inducted into the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame.

One of the few accomplishments missing is a Kentucky Derby victory, so Casse understands fully the significance of winning the crown jewel of the American racing for the first time with a Canadian-bred horse.

“It would be everything,” Casse said during a conference call. “It would be my career all tied up in one.

“I owe so much of our success to Toronto, to Woodbine, to Canada. To be able to do it with a Canadian-bred would be the ultimate satisfaction.”

Only two Canadian-bred horses have ever won the Derby, the last being Sunny’s Halo in 1983. The first was the incomparable Northern Dancer in 1964.