Mark E. Casse

Canada's standout trainer is an American born in Indianapolis into a racing family. In 2011, Casse won his fifth straight and sixth overall training title at Woodbine in suburban Toronto with a record 119 victories, which was nearly double the number compiled by the runner-up. Among them were 13 stakes victories, including the Grey Stakes, in which Casse saddled the top three finishers. Casse's father, Norman Sr., retired as the chairman of the board of the Ocala Breeders' Sales in 2006 and is a 40-year-plus veteran of Thoroughbred owning, breeding and training.

Casse is the former private trainer and operations director for the massive Mockingbird Farm, which owner Harry Mangurian dispersed in 1999. Since moving to Canada, Casse has won an astounding 13 Sovereign Awards as Canada's top trainer.

In 2015, Casse won his first Breeders' Cup race when Catch a Glimpse won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The next day he won the Breeders' Cup Mile with filly Tepin. He returned in the 2016 Breeders' Cup to pick up a win in the Sentient Jet Juvenile with the promising Classic Empire, making the colt the winter future-book favorite for the Kentucky Derby. Casse's filly Valadorna also ran second in the 14 Hands Winery Juvenile Fillies, and his superstar racemare Tepin just failed in her attempt to score back-to-back Mile wins when finishing second to Tourist.

After encountering some difficulties in early 2017, Classic Empire rebounded to win the Arkansas Derby and solidify his status as the leading Kentucky Derby contender for Casse and his team.

Casse earned his fourth victory at the Breeders' Cup on Nov. 4, 2017, when World Approval surged to a dominant victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. He added a fifth in 2018 when Shamrock Rose closed boldly to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

In 2019, War of Will emerged as a Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve contender with wins in two prep races at Fair Grounds, the Lecomte Stakes and the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford. 

In the 145^th Derby, the colt was at the center of controversy, as he was interfered with by first-place finisher Maximum Security through the far turn at Churchill Downs, resulting in that horse’s disqualification.

War of Will earned redemption by winning the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, giving Casse his first American classic win. Then, three weeks later, Casse tallied another classic win when his longshot starter Sir Winston took the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets.

Casse, who was induced into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2016, was elected into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame in 2020 and honored in 2021 during an induction ceremony that was delayed because of Covid-19. In 2022, his beloved Tepin also was honored with a spot in the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 

Later in 2022, Casse secured his sixth career win in the Breeders' Cup when Wonder Wheel rolled to a three-length victory in the NetJets Juvenile Fillies Nov. 4 at Keeneland Race Course.

Casse continued to excel at the highest level during the mid-2020s, represented by Grade 1 winners such as Fev Rover, La Cara, Counting Stars, and Classic Q. He campaigned standout filly Nitrogen to an Eclipse Award-winning campaign at age 3 in 2025 and tallied his seventh Breeders’ Cup win with her in 2026 as she prevailed in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland.