Casse sends three live chances into Royal North Stakes at Woodbine

Mark Casse will send three live chances into Saturday’s $150,000 HPIbet Royal North Stakes (G3T) at Woodbine, and that depth could decide whether the 7 1/2-furlong inner-turf feature turns into a clean tactical setup or a traffic fight. The Race 10 allowance for fillies and mares 4 and up drew 11 starters and one also-eligible for the 5:59 p.m. post, putting a crowded field in front of a trainer who already knows how to target this race.

Bessie Abott, Shifty and Without Cause all arrive in winning form, but they reach the Royal North from different paths. Bessie Abott, a 4-year-old filly by Kuroshio out of Supreme Spirit, brings a two-race winning streak into her first start of 2026 and her first stakes try at Woodbine. Woodbine lists her at 3-for-8 with $178,018 in earnings, and her résumé already includes a runner-up finish in the 2025 Wonder Again (G3) at Saratoga. Assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan has said the filly is fresh after her winter layoff and may benefit from the inner turf, a sign that Casse’s most upwardly mobile runner could be the one best suited to the course shape.

Shifty gives the stable another serious angle. The D.J. Stable runner owns a 4-3-4 record from 14 starts with $385,638 in purse earnings, and she has hit the board in her last nine starts, going 3-3-3 in that stretch. She comes in off consecutive main-track wins on April 25 and May 31 by a combined 7 3/4 lengths, which puts a different kind of pressure on the race shape: if Shifty carries her recent momentum onto the turf, she can help force the early rhythm or sit close enough to pounce.

Without Cause rounds out the trio and gives Casse a third tactical card, especially if the pace gets messy in a field that includes Equitas, Fantastical, Ribaltagaia, Pondering, Reagan’s Flame, Ozara, Scat Girl, Uphill Dance and Quadruple. With so many fillies and mares in play, position into the first turn and the ability to secure a clean stalking trip may matter as much as class.

The Royal North has been part of Woodbine’s stakes calendar since 1989, when it began as the Royal North Handicap at six furlongs on dirt before moving to turf in 1996. Equibase lists the fastest time in the race’s history at 1:06.90, set by Lady Grace in 2020, and the largest winning margin at 6 1/2 lengths, posted by Apelia in 1993. Recent winners include Ms. Tart in 2025, Play the Music in 2024, Our Flash Drive in 2023 and Boardroom in 2022, with Casse having already landed the race with Play the Music and Our Flash Drive.