And One More Time, New Century Victorious at Woodbine

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse entered racing Sept. 14 at Woodbine as a seven-time winner of the Natalma Stakes (G1T).

Now make it eight—thanks to the appropriately named And One More Time , who outbattled stablemates Vixen  and Nitrogen , giving Casse a 1-2-3 finish in the CA$500,000 race. Casse ran six of the 11 2-year-old fillies that started in the one-mile grass race.

Chasing pacesetting Nitrogen early through fractions of :23.28, :46.57, and 1:10.79 over firm ground, And One More Time was joined down the stretch by Vixen, who surged on her outside. But that rival’s looming presence did not discourage And One More Time. 

She grittily held off that oncoming rival as they overtook Nitrogen in the final sixteenth of the race, defeating the runner-up by a head. The winner was clocked in 1:33.99 for the distance under Rafael Hernandez.

“She just ran wonderfully—a lot of heart,” said Casse’s assistant trainer, Kathryn Sullivan. “We knew from her race at Saratoga we had a special filly, but I think she really proved it today.”

Disappointing was favored Mountain Breeze , who never threatened to finish a wide eighth.

Coming out of two shorter races on dirt, first at Churchill Downs and later at Saratoga Race Course, where she broke her maiden in an off-the-turf maiden race in the mud going 5 1/2 furlongs, And One More Time slipped past the betting public, paying $35.40.

The winning dark bay or brown filly was a $750,000 yearling purchase at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s selected yearling sale, in 2023 by her owner, Live Oak Plantation. By leading second-crop sire Omaha Beach   out of the Blame mare Complicated , she is her sire’s first grade 1 winner and her dam’s fourth stakes winner, third in graded company.

With the Natalma part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, And One More Time earned an automatic, paid berth in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Del Mar.

This story will be updated with a recap of the Summer Stakes (G1T).