TORONTO, October 1, 2025 – Speed merchant Bring Theband Home takes on six rivals in Saturday’s $250,000 Nearctic Stakes Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G2T) at Woodbine. Fresh off two stunning showings over the Saratoga turf, Bring Theband Home, a son of Into Mischief out of the Street Cry (IRE) mare Tizatude, brings his top-shelf turf talents north for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse in the five-furlong inner turf course test for 3-year-olds and up. After winning the Harvey Pack Stakes on July 4 at Saratoga when he travelled 5 ½ furlongs in a blazing :59.90 (only .10 off the world record set by Cogburn over the same course in last year’s Jaipur Stakes (G1T)), Bring Theband Home orchestrated another victory, this time in the $300,000 Troy Stakes (G2T) on August 3 when he wired his six foes. Bring Theband Home (Sarah Andrew Photo) It marked the third score in three starts – all at 5 ½ panels – on the Saratoga grass, with the first win coming last August. He also won over the Saratoga dirt course on July 23, 2022. “He has been special so far this year,” said Casse, of the Live Oak Plantation homebred, who finished off the board in last year’s Nearctic. “Hopefully, we can keep that going.” Sporting a record of 6-3-1 from 13 starts, along with $506,764 in purse earnings, the 5-year-old gelding will now look to win three consecutive races for the first time in his career. “He’s fast – really fast,” said Casse. “Javier (jockey, Castellano) can seem to get the most out of him and we have seen that over the times they have been paired together.” Patience has been the key for Bring Theband Home’s rise up the ranks, noted Casse, who sits atop the Woodbine trainer standings this year. “He has started showing just what we thought he was early on,” said the 16-time Sovereign Award recipient as Canada’s champion trainer and winner of 630 stakes races. “We always thought he was a pretty good horse. In all honesty, he was a little bit disappointing, but he definitely loves Saratoga. We hope he loves the Woodbine inner turf as much. This has been our plan for a long time. “When he won the Harvey Pack at Saratoga, and was so close to the world record, it showed us that he has the talent we always thought he had.” The goal is to have Bring Theband Home head to California for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Del Mar on November 1. “That is what we are aiming for,” said Casse. “Obviously, he’s really come into himself, and we want to keep building off that. He’s been given a little break and freshened after his most recent race. He’s good and cranked and he’s ready to go.” Casse won the 2017 edition of the Nearctic with 40-1 longshot Field of Courage. The Strikin Viking (IRE), named after Manchester City’s Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland, will look to strike gold in his first try on Canadian turf. Bred in Ireland by Tally-Ho Stud, the bay son of Inns of Court (IRE) out of the Shamardal mare Asmeen (IRE), was purchased for 65,000gns out of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale last May. From the family of Azamour (IRE), The Strikin Viking (IRE) made his first two starts for Middleham Park Racing and trainer Kevin Ryan, before the bay gelding, runner-up in the Railway Stakes (G2T) was acquired by the Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing and joined Newmarket-based Qatari trainer Hamad Al-Jehani. “He is a very good horse, especially when we saw him finish second in the Richmond (G2T) last August at Goodwood,” said Al-Jehani. “We wanted to be very patient with him and give him all the time he needed to be at his best.” The 3-year-old heads into the Nearctic off his first graded stakes victory. On August 31, The Strikin Viking (IRE) won the Goldene Peitsche – the most important short-distance race in Germany with prize money of 70,000 euros, run at a distance of 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) – in front of over 10,000 spectators at Baden-Baden in Iffezheim. For the victory, the connections received the most coveted prize in German horse racing, a gold-plated whip. “He gave us a lot of confidence to send him to Germany after he was third in his race before that,” said Al-Jehani, of the six-furlong Queensferry Stakes on August 3 that saw The Strikin Viking (IRE) miss top spot by a neck. “It was a very good race for him in Germany.” The performance put the Nearctic on the radar. “From there, we decided this race in Canada would suit him,” said Al-Jehani. “I think he will handle the track very well. We are happy to send more horses to Woodbine after what Haunted Dream (IRE) (winner of the Singspiel Stakes (G3T) on September 6) achieved.” Al-Jehani is hoping for a big effort from The Strikin Viking (IRE) on Saturday. “He is a nice-looking horse. He’s quite big. We knew from the beginning that he would be a nice horse at 3.” Faleh Nasser Bughenaim will ride. The wagering menu for the race includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, 0.20 Superfecta, 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 5-6-7) and $1 Swinger. A special Pick 3 sequence will also be offered on Canadian International Day: Fall Turf Pick 3 Nearctic Stakes (G2T) – Race 5 Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T) – Race 8 Canadian International (G1T) – Race 9 $5 minimum | 15% takeout Field for the Grade 2 Nearctic – Race 5 Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer 1 – Light the Lamp – Pietro Moran – Don MacRae 2 – Western Whirl – Fraser Aebly – Stuart Simon 3 – Its Time to Shine – Jose Campos – John Ross 4 – The Strikin Viking (IRE) – Faleh Nasser Bughenaim – Hamad Al-Jehani 5 – Bring Theband Home – Javier Castellano – Mark Casse 6 – No Nay Hudson (IRE) – Pablo Morales – Wesley Ward 7 – Nobals – Rafael Hernandez – Larry Rivelli Chris Lomon, Woodbine Share This:Share
