Casse is attempting to top the Bold Venture Stakes with Florida-bred horse Capture the Lion

BROCK SHERIDAN

Two-time Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will try to pull off an upset victory with Florida-bred Capture the Lion in the Grade 3 Bold Venture at Woodbine on Saturday and will also seek his first stakes victory in the six-and-a-half furlong race for seven 3-year-olds and up.

The Bold Venture will be the second attempt at this level for the four-year-old gelding, who finished fourth on his debut in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup over seven furlongs on the Woodbine turf. Capture the Lion could benefit from the shorter distance in the Bold Venture, having pushed the pace for most of the Connaught Cup before easing off to finish fourth, four and a half lengths behind winner Cruden Bay but just a neck behind third-place finisher and Bold Venture rival Ironstone.

Capture the Lion will also be pleased to return to artificial turf after winning two of four starts last year and a third in optional claiming races on Gulfstream Park's all-weather track.

The son of Uncaptured has four wins, one second and two thirds in 12 starts in his career, earning his owner Gary Barber $153,585. He is by Keyvacious by Teuflesberg and was bred in Florida by the late Sherry Mansfield and Kenneth H. Davis.

Capture the Lion is a graduate of the Ocala Breeders' Sales and was sold to JEC for $55,000 from the Hawk's Rest consignment at the 2022 March sale.

Casse will give up the lead to Sahin Civaci on Capture the Lion and they are tied after the first seed. Capture the Lion is 15-1 on the morning line.

The 7-5 favorite for the Bold Venture is Patches O'Houlihan, who won the CA$100,000 Pink Lloyd over six furlongs at Woodbine in his last race on July 28.

Trained by Robert Tiller for Frank D. Di Giulio Jr., Patches O'Houlihan has an impressive record racing exclusively at Woodbine, winning eight of 10 races, including last year's Bold Venture and the Grade 3 Vigil in September.

Patches O'Houlihan is ridden from post three by Sophia Vives of Ocala.

Completing the field are Ironstone and jockey Ryan Munger, Border Town is ridden by Leo Salles, I'm a Gambler (Ire) and rider Pietro Moran, Playmea Tune is saddled by Kazushi Kimura and Patrick Husbands rides First Empire.

Back to the August 16 edition of Cable to cable