Casse charges ready for Grade 3 Selene scene / Essex Serpent seeks to shed the competition in Grade 3 Dominion Day

June 26, 2025

TORONTO, June 26, 2025 – Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will send out a trio of contenders in Saturday’s $150,000 Selene Stakes (G3).

A local prep for the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois (July 20), the Selene, an open race for 3-year-old fillies, includes Casse runners Ella It Is, No Time, and Tiz Her Money.

Ella It Is, 2-2-0 from 7 starts, will make her fourth career stakes appearance when she goes postward on Saturday.

The daughter of Point of Entry out of the Silent Name (JPN) mare Our Ella, finished second in both the Victorian Queen and South Ocean last year, and was seventh, albeit just 3 ½ lengths behind the winner, in the 2024 running of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes.

Ella It Is heads into the Selene on a winning note.

On June 1, the bay filly shook clear in a 11/16-mile main track race at Woodbine and went on to notch a 3 ¾-length victory in 1:46.17.

“It’s a step up for her,” said assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan. “But she ran a great race last time out. She’s run in stakes before and finished second twice in stakes races as a 2-year-old. We hope she can build from that last race and produce a big effort this time.”

Ella It Is debuted last July and finished seventh but rebounded with a smart two-length score in a 6 ½-furlong main track race, also at the Toronto oval, that was originally scheduled for the turf.

René and Darlene Hunderup (Heste Sport Inc.) bred and own Ella It Is. Working out of their home base, Norse Ridge Farms, in King, Ontario, northeast of Woodbine, the couple has enjoyed great success over the years, as breeders and owners of Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses.

Prince Parris is the groom.

No Time, a daughter of Not This Time out of the Red Ransom mare Count to Three, also arrives at the Selene off an authoritative win.

Owned by Gary Barber, the dark bay filly ran unfettered on the lead as the 5-2 choice in a 1 1/16-mile main track race on June 1 at Woodbine and crossed the wire four lengths ahead of her nearest rival in 1:44.24.

“That was a very good performance,” said Sullivan. “She took the lead early and just went on from there. She did it all very confidently, so we are looking for her to come back with another strong outing in the Selene.”

No Time brings a record of 2-0-1 from 6 starts into her third stakes (fourth, elevated to third, in the Cup & Saucer, eighth in the Mazarine (G3), both last year) appearance.

She was steadied sharply in her career bow last August and finished eighth but won next time out in a 1 1/16-mile turf race on September 14.

“The [Woodbine] Oaks is the goal with No Time and Ella It Is, so we are hoping they can keep continuing to step up, starting with the Selene,” said Sullivan.

Bred by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, No Time was a $250,000 (USD) purchase at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.

Prince Parris is the groom.

Tiz Her Money endured a rough trip in her 3-year-old debut, a fifth at Gulfstream on April 10, but just like her stablemates, made a trip to the winner’s circle in her next start.

The daughter of Tiz the Law out of the Rahy mare Money Madness banked her most recent victory in a seven-furlong trek over the Woodbine main track on June 14.

Settled at the back of the eight-horse field through the half, the bay filly shifted four wide at the three-furlong pole and swooped her rivals on the way to a half-length score in 1:24.48.

“She is also stepping up to graded stakes company, so it’s a pretty big move up,” said Sullivan. “But just like No Time and Ella It Is, she had a big win in her last race as well. I also think she has something left in the tank.”

Tiz Her Money debuted with a fifth at 1 1/16 miles on the Saratoga inner turf last August and was then fourth in a 1 1/16-mile test over the E.P. Taylor turf in her next start.

In her third race, at 1 mile and 70 yards on the Woodbine main track, she stumbled badly to her knees at the start and was walked off.

Tiz Her Money’s penultimate race of her 2-year-old campaign yielded a second over one mile on the Woodbine inner turf on October 24. She recovered from a poor start in her curtain-closing race of 2024 and won by 1 ½ lengths in a 1 1/16-mile race on the main track for her maiden victory.

She sports a 2-1-0 record from 7 starts for owner Peter Deutsch.

Bred in Kentucky by RTA Family Trust and George E. Saufley, Tiz Her Money was a $55,000 (USD) purchase at the 2023 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale.

Brooklyn Howard is the groom.

The wagering menu for the Selene includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, 0.20 Superfecta, .20 Pick 3 (Races 7-8-9), 0.20 Pick 4 (Races 7-8-9-10) and $1 Swinger. Fans can watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and bet365.com.

Field for the $150,000 Selene Stakes (G3) – Race 7

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Somethinabouther – Pietro Moran – Brendan Walsh

2 – Tiz Her Money – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

3 – No Time – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse

4 – Madame Obey – Fraser Aebly – Josie Carroll

5 – Serendipity – Rafael Hernandez – Josie Carroll

6 – Ella It Is – Ryan Munger – Mark Casse

7 – Crystalaire (GB) – Jose Campos – Mike De Paulo

8 – Nata Trouble – David Moran – Willie Armata

Chris Lomon, Woodbine

Essex Serpent seeks to shed the competition in Grade 3 Dominion Day

TORONTO, June 26, 2025 – Essex Serpent, fresh off an impressive score, looks to notch his second career graded tally, this time in the $150,000 Dominion Day Stakes (G3), part of the Canada Day Racing Festival, Saturday at Woodbine.  

A 1 1/8-mile main track event for 4-year-olds and up, the Dominion Day shares the spotlight with four other graded stakes offerings: $200,000 bet365 Highlander (G2T), $175,000 Nassau (G2T), $150,000 HPIbet Marine (G3) and $150,000 Selene (G3).

On May 10, Essex Serpent returned to race action after making his previous start last September in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie.

And what a return was.

Under Patrick Husbands, the 4-year-old son of Honor Code out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Eileen’s Girl romped to an emphatic 5 ¼-length score over 1 1/16 miles in a time of 1:43.09.

“He’s an absolutely beautiful horse in every sense,” said Kathryn Sullivan, assistant trainer to Mark Casse. “Unfortunately, he ran two disappointing races last year when he was tenth in both The King’s Plate and Prince of Wales. But he had a great race to start the season, so we are hoping he can build on that and have a really good year.

“We just liked everything about that last win,” Sullivan continued. “He just persevered the whole race and ran the race his way and didn’t let up. He took the lead and continued on with it – just very impressive, especially after a long layoff like that. I don’t think we saw all that he had to give on that day.”

Essex Serpent made his first start in 2024 after sitting out the 2023 meet.

After a debut win over 5 ½ furlongs on the Woodbine main track last April, the bay gelding was second in the Queenston Stakes, before a one-length triumph in the Marine Stakes (G3).

“We had some issues with him as a 2-year-old and that’s why he never ran as a 2-year-old,” recalled Casse. “We sent him to our training centre in Ocala and gave him some time off.”

A homebred for Manfred and Penny Conrad, Essex Serpent breezed four furlongs over the Woodbine main track in :47.20 on June 21.

“He’s working well, he looks great and we’re hoping he can carry the momentum from his last race into the Dominion Day,” said Sullivan.

Since joining forces with Casse, the Conrads have enjoyed success through multiple graded stakes winner and 2018 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint victress Shamrock Rose, and multiple graded stakes placed/multiple stakes winner Theogony.

The Casse barn is also no stranger to success in the Dominion Day, including a 2024 triumph with Paramount Prince, and consecutive scores in 2013 and 2014 with Delegation and Sky Captain, respectively.

Wayne Grant is the groom for Essex Serpent.

Other starters include multiple graded stakes winner Fashionably Fab, multiple graded stakes placed Funtastic Again, and 21-time winner Fly the W.

First post is 1:05 p.m. The wagering menu for the Dominion Day includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, 0.20 Superfecta, and $1 Swinger.

Fans can watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com and bet365.com. 

$150,000 Dominion Day Stakes (Grade 3) – Race 9

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer 

1 – Bail Us Out – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard

2 – Fashionably Fab – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard

3 – Stanley House – Leo Salles – Mike De Paulo

4 – Fly the W – Sahin Civaci – Marty Drexler

5 – Funtastic Again – Victor Espinoza – Wesley Ward

6 – Dancin in Da’nile – Jose Campos – Gail Cox