Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse earns 4,000th career victory

NEW KENT COUNTY, VIRGINIA — Mark Casse has his 4,000th career racing win.

Casse, a Hall of Fame trainer in both Canada and the United States, achieved the milestone Thursday when It’s Witchcraft prevailed to win the 11th race at Colonial Downs.

Casse had been sitting at 3,999 wins since Sunday when his horses won three races at Woodbine Racetrack. It’s Witchcraft was one of three horses Casse had entered for Thursday but the three-year-old filly got the job done by a nose in a photo finish.

“That’s a lot of wins but I joke that it means I’ve lost a lot of races, too,” Casse said. “For someone like me, who has spent my entire life (in racing) … this is the cherry on top.”

Casse has been inducted into both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (2016) and National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (2020). The 64-year-old native of Indianapolis has been named Canada’s top trainer a record 16 times.

He has won the $1-million King’s Plate — Canada’s most prestigious thoroughbred race and the opening jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown — three times.

Casse earned his first win with Joe’s Coming in a Keeneland claiming race April 14, 1979. He has earned over $260.4 million since then.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025.