TO -- Mark Casse f

TORONTO -- Mark Casse finally has his first Queens Plate victory. Corey Linsley Womens Jersey . Filly Lexie Lou captured the $1-million race Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack, giving the six-time Sovereign Award winner as Canadas top trainer his first Plate win. The 53-year-old American came close in 2011, finishing second to Inglorious with Hippolytus, but admitted becoming emotional after Lexie Lou crossed the finish line 1 1/2-lengths ahead of runner-up Amis Holiday, a 9-1 longshot. "My son, Colby, just started crying afterwards and to see it mean that much to him got me crying," said Casse, a 34-year racing veteran. "There was a lot of crying . . . I think I wouldve been OK had Colby not started crying. "When all youve done your entire life is been around race horses . . . I really dont know anything else. Ive been following the Queens Plate since I was a little boy and so to finally win it, I just pinch myself. I thought wed win it sooner or later. I knew I wasnt going to give up." The daughter of Sligo Bay-Oneexcessivenite served notice in the Woodbine Oaks on June 15 that she was indeed a Plate contender. Lexie Lou earned a comfortable 4 1/2-length win and covered the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:49.77, a full second faster than We Miss Arties winning time in the Plate Trial a race earlier. Breaking from the No. 14 post in the 15-horse field, Lexie Lou sat comfortably in ninth at the halfway point before steadily working up the field. She sat second behind Asserting Bear after a mile before surging into the lead, then holding off Amis Holiday to finish the 1 1/4-mile race on Woodbines polytrack in 2:03.94. "I think a lot of times theres too much preparation, too much training and we did very little with her," Casse said. "After the Oaks we sent her out to our farm, which is about an hour north of here, and let her eat grass. "When I saw her in the paddock today walking around with not a care in the world, I said to my wife, Shes going to be really really tough, because the first time we ran her she was kind of nervous. But not today." Asserting Bear finished third ahead of We Miss Artie, the 9/5 favourite who rallied to take fourth after a terrible start. The remainder of the field included: Niigon Express; Lions Bay; Matador; Heart to Heart; Coltimus Prime; Athenian Guard; Cap in Hand; One Destiny; Man o Bear; Tower of Texas; and Majestic Sunset. Lexie Lou paid $8.20, $4.50 and $3.30 while Amis Holiday returned $9.70 and $5.80. Asserting Bear paid $6. Jockey Patrick Husbands earned his second career Plate win but first since 03 when he guided Wando to a Triple Crown, the last horse to register that achievement. But the victory was almost anti-climatic for the veteran rider. "I breezed this filly Saturday and when I pulled her up I started crying because I couldnt believe I had another Queens Plate winner," Husbands said. "On the way back to the barn I told the assistant, Could you tell Mark I dont think they will beat this filly. "I went back to my car, I called Barbados and told everybody Im coming home to celebrate. Im on the flight (Sunday night) to Barbados to celebrate (Monday)." Javier Castellano, We Miss Arties jockey, said the poor start cost his horse the race. "I think with the big field my horse got a little nervous in the gate, he completely sat down behind the gate," Castellano said. "Thats why he broke straight in the air . . . it took a lot out of him. "He was too far behind. I lost a lot of ground going around horses." Jockey Luis Contreras had no such complaints about his trip or Amis Holiday starting from the No. 15 post. "We didnt need to be on the lead and I could see all the horses from the outside position," he said. "My horse gave a tremendous kick and we almost got there." Chantal Sutherland-Kruse, the jockey aboard Asserting Bear, said Lexie Lou was a deserving winner. "We did our best but Lexie Lou was just powerful," she said. The victory was the fifth in 12 career starts for Lexie Lou, with the $600,000 winners share boosting her all-time earnings past $1.2 million. Last year, Lexie Lou ran for owner-trainer John Ross, earning more than $300,000. But after her first start this year, Ross sold the filly to Gary Barber, the chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). "I dont buy horses thinking Im going to win the Oaks," Casse said. "I buy them just thinking and hoping Im making a good buy and can make it work and sometimes funny things happen. "John Ross did a wonderful job with her, she came to us in great shape and we couldnt have done it without him. We were just in the right place at the right time and got lucky." Casse was non-commital about Lexie Lou running July 29 in the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown at Fort Erie Racetrack. "A third race in a short time and, of course, a surface shes never been over," Casse said. "Well see, we could go there. "Gary is from California and they have synthetic there and it wouldnt shock me if she ends up in California." Eddie Lacy Womens Jersey . Jarome Iginla and Zdeno Chara each had two goals, Tuukka Rask made 25 saves and the Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1 Saturday. Davon House Jersey. San Antonio was out of energy and emotion, which is usually when coach Gregg Popovich turns to Manu Ginobili for a boost. Ginobili is no longer the only player giving the Spurs a jolt of enthusiasm and showmanship off the bench.TORONTO -- Foul trouble and ankle injuries cost the Toronto Raptors a win in the longest game in franchise history. Kyle Lowry finished with 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the Raptors 134-129 triple-overtime loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday. The Toronto point guard played 54 minutes despite an ankle sprain in his 41st minute of play and eventually fouling out. "We just ran out of time," said guard DeMar DeRozan. "All we needed is one stop, one rebound, one bucket. We just couldnt get it. They scored when they needed to, we scored when we needed to but we didnt get a stop when we needed it." DeRozan scored 34 points for Toronto (32-26), and Greivis Vasquez had a season-high 26 points and eight assists off the bench. Still, it was the sting of having to play with a banged up Lowry in the extra sessions that hurt even more than Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson fouling out for the Raptors. At three hours 32 minutes, Thursdays game became the longest in the Raptors history. The previous mark was a 137-136 triple-overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets in London, U.K. on March 5, 2011 which lasted 3:22. With Lowry limited by the ankle in each of the three extra sessions, John Wall stole the ball from Vasquez on back-to-back possessions with the game tied 127-127 in the third overtime, leading to four quick points by the Wizards (30-28) to give Washington a four-point lead. Wall scored 31 points and nine assists and Marcin Gortat scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Wizards outlasted Toronto. The Raptors were shorthanded throughout the second half of regulation in addition to the extra sessions. With 2:15 remaining in the second quarter, Terrence Ross stepped on the foot of a Wizards player and rolled his left ankle while being fouled on a layup attempt. He stayed in the game to make the free throws, but left with a little less than a minute remaining in the half and did not return. The team felt his absence, especially on the defensive end of the floor. "Losing Terrence Ross, you dont miss something until you dont have it," Casey said. "He gives us one more defender, shot maker, and that was huge for us. Especially defensively, he was doing a good jobb and also gave us another defender to switch around on Wall. Mike Neal Womens Jersey. "I liked the way the guys battled. I thought we were flat in the first half again. I liked the way we battled, even through the foul trouble and also with the injuries." DeRozan would get the Raptors within two with a pair of free throws, but a layup from Wall extended Washingtons advantage to four with 29 seconds on the clock. "Thats got to be a nightmare," Casey said of trying to stop Wall in the open court. "Hes one of the fastest guys with the ball in the league. Now youve got Gortat, one of the best screen and roll guys going down the lane, the best shooters in (Bradley) Beal and (Martell) Webster spotted up. Theyre a lethal offensive team. We couldnt make easy plays in the first half and I thought that dug us a hole a little bit and that made it tough for us in the second half." After a missed jumper from DeRozan with 24 seconds remaining, Garrett Temple clinched the victory on a free throw to put Washington up 134-129 with 21 seconds to go. Johnson, Patterson and Lowry fouled out for the Raptors. Trevor Ariza and Gortat fouled out for the Wizards. In a second overtime session with as many turnovers as field goals, Gortat calmly sank two free throws to put the Wizards ahead by two with 43 seconds remaining. DeRozan tied the game with 2.5 seconds remaining. Beal scored as the buzzer sounded, but the bucket was waved off. Reviews confirmed that Beal did not get the shot off in time. Ahead by two with 30 seconds remaining in overtime, Vasquez lost the ball to Wall who tied the game at 114 with 23 seconds remaining. Wall would block Lowrys layup attempt as time expired to force a second overtime. Back-to-back makes from Vasquez closed out Torontos scoring in regulation. Gortat tied the game at 106 with 5.2 seconds remaining and a layup by Lowry missed at the buzzer, forcing overtime. DeRozan and Lowry combined to score 22 of Torontos 24 points in the third quarter. The Raptors trailed Washington 83-78 going into the fourth. Toronto closed the half with a Lowry technical followed up by a DeRozan turnover. Washington took a 57-54 advantage into the break. It was the second missed game for Washingtons Nene who is out with a sprained MCL. cheap jerseys ' ' '