TORONTO - Hes one of Canadas most successful trainers but one accomplishment missing from Mark Casses impressive resume is a Queens Plate victory. Swell Bottiglie . The six-time Sovereign award winner as the countrys top conditioner will send three horses — including 4-1 early second choice Lexie Lou and 8-1 third pick Matador — postward Sunday in search of his first career win in North Americas oldest, continuously run stakes event at Woodbine Racetrack. Casses best finish in the $1-million, 1 1/4-mile race was second in 11 with Hippolytus. "When you travel around Canada and tell people youre a horse trainer, they want to know if youve won the Queens Plate," Casse said following the race draw Thursday. "So far, the answer is no but hopefully after Sunday Ill be able to say yes. "I would like to win the Kentucky Derby, that one is big too, but this (Plate win) would be No. 1." We Miss Artie is the 8-5 favourite despite running slower than Lexie Lou their last time out. We Miss Artie rallied to capture the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial in 1:50.78 on June 15 at Woodbine before Lexie Lous impressive 4 1/2-length Woodbine Oaks win in 1:49.77 over the same distance moments later. Lexie Lou will carry five pounds less than the others in the 15-horse field Sunday as the lone filly. "Going a mile and a quarter, five pounds is a big difference," Casse said. "In her last race, she ran a second faster than the favourite and that means something. "I think theres a good shot there will be a female winner this year." Lexie Lou will attempt to become the 35th filly to win the Plate but just the seventh since 56. And only five Oaks winners have also claimed Canadas most prestigious race, the last being Inglorious in 2011. We Miss Artie drew the No. 6 post while Lexie Lou will break from the No. 14 position. Matador starts from the No. 10 post while Majestic Sunset, Casses third horse and the second-place finisher in the Plate Trial, goes from the No. 7 post. "I think this is the strongest hand weve ever brought to the table," Casse said. "With any race you can have the best horses but you still need to have some luck. "Were ready. Sooner or later well get this thing." The field, with post position, horse, jockey and odds, includes: 1) Cap in Hand, Steven Bahen, 50-1; 2) Coltimus Prime, Jesse Campbell 20-1; 3) Athenian Guard, Omar Moreno, 50-1; 4) Asserting Bear, Chantal-Sutherland Kruse, 10-1; 5) Man o Bear, Emma-Jayne Wilson, 30-1; 6) We Miss Artie, Javier Castellano, 8-5; 7) Majestic Sunset, Gary Boulanger, 15-1; 8) Lions Bay, David Moran, 30-1; 9) Heart to Heart Eurico Rosa de Silva, 30-1; 10) Matador, Julien Leparoux, 8-1; 11) One Destiny, Justin Stein, 30-1; 12) Tower of Texas, John Velazquez, 20-1; 13) Niigon Express, Gerry Olguin, 30-1; 14) Lexie Lou, Patrick Husbands, 4-1; 15) Amis Holiday, Luis Contreras. Favourites have won 22-of-58 renewals (37 per cent) since 56 but only two — Wando in 03 and Eye of the Leopard in 09 — have been victorious in the last 19 editions. But Casse and Lexie Lou arent the only interesting storylines in this years race. Others include: — Not only is a filly the No. 2 pick but two women will ride Sunday. Sutherland-Kruse, who came out of retirement to ride this year at Woodbine, will be aboard Asserting Bear while Man o Bear, will be ridden by Wilson, who became the only female jockey to win the Plate in 07 with Mike Fox. Also, trainer Josie Carroll chases a third Plate victory with Amis Holiday. — Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield tries for a record ninth Plate win with Tower of Texas. Attfields last Plate victory was in 08 with Not Bourbon. — For the first time ever, a father and two sons will saddle separate entries. Hall of Famer Sid Attard conditions Cap in Hand while Paul Attard sends out Niigon Express and Jamie Attard trains Lions Bay. The Plate is the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. The other races are the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes (July 29 at Fort Erie) and $500,000 Breeders Stakes turf event (Aug. 17 at Woodbine). Thereve been seven Triple Crown winners, the last being Wando in 03. Paul and Jamie Attard have a round of golf riding on Sundays race, but their father hasnt become embroiled in family bragging rights. Sid Attard has never won the Queens Plate but was second in 92 with longshot Grand Hooley, his first Plate starter. "Ive been listening, being quiet," the senior Attard said with a chuckle. "Id like to win but if I cant win I want one of them to win. "Id like to see them do good." Sutherland-Kruse rode Asserting Bear to victory in the Marine Stakes on May 25 but the horse was relegated to third for obstructing Ami Holidays late run. Sutherland-Kruse has finished in the money 69 times this season — 22 wins, 28 seconds, 19 thirds — and amassed over $1-million in purse earnings through 189 starts. The 38-year-old Winnipeg native said shed cherish a Queens Plate victory. "Ive raced all over the world, Ive seen the lArc de Triomphe, Kentucky Derby and Breeders Cup and theyre all huge races," she said. "But for me, the Queens Plate is as big. "I love Canada and am proud to be Canadian and to win it would be so gratifying." A win Sunday would further solidify Attfields status as Canadian racings most prolific trainer, having already amassed more Prince of Wales (five) and Breeders Stakes (eight) victories in the Triple Crown era than any other conditioner. But its an accomplishment that isnt keeping 74-year-old resident of Nobleton, Ont. — who has conditioned three Triple Crown champions over his illustrious career — up at night. "If it happens, it happens," he said matter of factly. "I feel blessed to have won it (Queens Plate) eight times. "Its a good-sized field, which it should be, and theres a lot of horses that it would be no surprise if they popped up and won, in my opinion. I think its going to be a tremendous race, to be honest." Swell Bottle Italia . You can watch coverage on TSN, TSN2 and CTV beginning today at 3pm et/Noon pt. The championships will feature approximately 250 of Canadas best figure skaters in senior, junior and novice as they vie for spots on the national team, international assignments and will act as the final step in the 2014 Olympic qualification process. Hydro Flask Bottiglia . The club announced Friday that Mauro Biello will be kept on as an assistant to coach Jesse Marsch when the Impact join the MLS in 2012.CALGARY - The Calgary Flames did not make the playoffs for a fifth straight year. The difference between this spring and the previous four is the Flames did not underachieve this time around. When since-deposed general manager Jay Feaster brought himself to say the word "rebuild" last summer, it confirmed following the departure of Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff and Jay Bouwmeester that the Flames were going to be a lunchbucket squad until new stars emerged or were acquired. Calgary (35-40-7) finished 27th in the 30-team league this past season and second-last in the Western Conference above only Edmonton. The 77 points was the teams lowest total since 2002-03. The Flames went 19-14-1 after brawling with the Canucks in Vancouver on Jan. 18, but they were already in next-year territory after winning just nine games through November and December. The slow start opened the door to audition for the future. A dozen players made their NHL debut with the Flames this season. Calgary has a top-five pick in the NHL draft in June for the first time since 1973 when they were the Atlanta Flames. The Flames have a 10.7 per cent chance of winning the first overall pick in Tuesdays draft lottery. But in contrast with Oilers to the north — where people tossed jerseys on the ice in disgust — the Flames had more goodwill and patience from their fanbase. Calgary compensated for its lack of talent with tenacity. The Flames were involved in 49 one-goal games this season and went 25-24 in them. "The conclusion of a season that does not include playoff is a failure and we acknowledge that failure, but it was not a lost or wasted season in any sense of the word," said hockey operations president Brian Burke, who is also interim general manager until he hires a new one. "I think there were a lot of positive developments in this season that Im proud of. I think we gave (the fans) a product they enjoyed watching." Bob Hartley squeezed effort out of his group in his first full season behind the bench. The head coach has one year remaining on a three-year contract and Burke says Hartley will coach the team in 2014-15. "Once we get a general manager in place, Ill encourage that person to address that situation," Burke said. "Its not the end of the world when a coach works in the last year of his contract, but its not ideal. That will be up to the next GM." Hartley said prior to Calgarys home game "our report card still says we failed" but the coach said Monday that it was a "great day." "We decided late last year that we would get a new face to this organization. We would go with younger players," Hartley said. "From the inside — I dont know about the outside because Im not on the outside — from the inside, I saw commitment, I saw progress. Those guys gave us everything that they had." Unlike the previous four seasons when an expensive, veteran squad with stars on its roster fell short of the post-season, there was less disappointment and more optimism as the Flames packed their bags this time. With 22 goals, forward Sean Monahan became the first Flames rookie to score more than 21 since Iginla in 1996-97. The 19-year-old from Brampton, Ont., confirmed hell play for Canada in the world championships in Minsk, Belarus, next month. "Down the stretch, these last 20 games, carrying the puck, I felt more confident with the puck," Monahan said. "Thats somethiing I want to be able to do next year, be confident with the puck, make plays and I guess produce a little bit more. Hydro Flask Outlet. " Monahan and veterans Matt Stajan and Chris Butler raved about Mark Giordanos leadership skills in his first season as captain. The 30-year-old was also a key contributor on the ice with 47 points and a plus-12 rating. Giordano played himself into consideration for Canadas Olympic team. He declined the chance to participate in the world championships, saying a hand injury needed time to heal. When he was healthy, Karri Ramo played himself to No. 1 on Calgarys goaltending depth chart with a 17-15-4 record. The Finn has one year remaining on a two-year contract. "The players like him because he battles," Burke said. "I think Karri Ramo has established that he deserves to come back here as the No. 1 goaltender." Hobey Baker winner Johnny Gaudreau, who led the NCAA in scoring, signed a contract on the weekend and scored in his first NHL game Sunday in Vancouver. The players believe theyve built a foundation upon which to build for next season. All eyes turn to Burke, who he chooses as his new GM and assistant GM and how they in turn handle the draft and Calgarys cap space in free agency. "The GM search, were going to approach teams that missed the playoffs," Burke said. "If they have candidates were going to approach them today, some of them. "If we have to wait until after the draft to fill that position, we will." Burke took over as interim GM when he fired Feaster in December. Burke was brought on board in September as hockey ops president to accelerate Calgarys rebuild. His goal is to make the Flames bigger, stronger and meaner. He acquired a second- and third-round draft pick at the March 3 trade deadline, but added no players to the team. "I think truculence is part of this game," Burke said. "Everyone likes to make fun of that word because the first time I used it, a lot of people said its kind of a new word in hockey, but its not. "I think tough teams win. You look at the St. Louis Blues. Theyve been a dominant team all year. Their average weight is 208 pounds. In the West (conference) especially, if youre not a hostile team with size, youre not going to have success. We need to get bigger." Mike Cammalleri, Calgarys leading scorer and most expensive player counting $6 million against the salary cap, will be an unrestricted free agent July 1 unless he re-signs with the Flames. "I dont have anything to report," the 30-year-old said. "Just had some exit meetings and talked to Brian. He said wed talk again. Today wasnt the day to talk about that sort of thing. Today was a day to address the season. I am far from having ruled Calgary out as far as my future." Butler, 27, will also be a UFA for the first time in his career. "Its a unique opportunity, being unrestricted and having control of your destiny and being able to choose potentially where you want to go," Butler said. "Its an opportunity not everybody gets and it is something you earn and you work for. "Its something Ill think about, but its still a few months away and its kind of hard to think about right now having just played last night and wearing that jersey for the last three years." Forwards Paul Byron, Joen Colborne, Lance Bouma and T.J. Galiardi are among Calgarys restricted free agents this summer. ' ' '
