Just one race after champion Tepin (Bernstein)'s win streak came to a halt in the GI First Lady S., trainer Mark Casse, assistant Norm Casse and jockey Julien Leparoux got their turn in the Keeneland winner's circle courtesy of Classic Empire. Adding blinkers here after wheeling at the start and dumping jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. in Saratoga's GI Hopeful S. last time Sept. 5, the $475,000 KEESEP buy was away well from the 11-hole and tracked from a two-wide third as longshot Wild Shot clocked early splits of :23.38 and :46.63 while pressed by Blame Will (Blame). Classic Empire seized control from those foes entering the turn for home and steadily drew away to secure his spot in the gate for next month's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. Lookin at Lee made an eye-catching late run from far back to complete the exacta and Wild Shot held on for third.
“This is a very, very talented horse,” Norm Casse said. “The day after the Hopeful, we got right to work on him. We put blinkers on him; we breezed him out of the gate several times. It paid dividends today. We'll move forward from here. You've got to think this horse has plenty of room to improve.”
“Today he broke sharp and was all business,” remarked Leparoux, who was also aboard for the colt's first two victories. “He ran a big race. I was a bit surprised to be where I was, but he did it easy and he was happy where he was. He got a little bit tired at the end, but he hasn't been running for a while, so we expected that.”
A decisive debut winner sprinting in the slop at Churchill Downs May 4, Classic Empire followed suit with a defeat of “TDN Rising Star” Recruiting Ready (Algorithms) in the GIII Bashford Manor S. in Louisville July 2 prior to his incident at the start of the Hopeful last out. (Click here for video from Classic Empire's sale at Keeneland).
Pedigree Notes:
The winner is a half to two-time stakes winner Uptown Twirl (Twirling Candy), a $110,000 KEESEP yearling who blossomed into a $630,000 OBS March 2-year-old; and dual stakes winner Anytime Magic (Fusaichi Pegasus). Their dam Sambuca Classica, a daughter of SW & MGISP In Her Glory (Miswaki), produced a colt by Concord Point in 2015 and aborted a foal by Uncle Mo in 2016. She was bred back to Candy Ride (Arg).
Saturday, Keeneland
CLAIBORNE BREEDERS' FUTURITY-GI, $500,000, KEE, 10-8, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.41, ft.
1–&CLASSIC EMPIRE, 121, c, 2, by Pioneerof the Nile
1st Dam: Sambuca Classica, by Cat Thief
2nd Dam: In Her Glory, by Miswaki
3rd Dam: Forever Waving, by Hoist the Flag
($475,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-John C. Oxley; B-Steven & Brandi
Nicholson (KY); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Julien R. Leparoux.
$300,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $385,920. *1/2 to Uptown
Twirl (Twirling Candy), MSW, $170,714; and Anytime Magic
(Fusaichi Pegasus), MSW, $189,970. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”rodenalistair-mareprivatepurchase”][bullet ad=”warrendale-sold-congratulations-to-all-the-connections”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]2–Lookin At Lee, 121, c, 2, Lookin At Lucky–Langara Lass, by
Langfuhr. ($70,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-L and N Racing LLC;
B-Ray Hanson (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $100,000.
3–Wild Shot, 121, c, 2, Trappe Shot–Ranter, by Storm Cat.
O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-George R. Arnold, II. $50,000.
Margins: 3, 1, HD. Odds: 1.60, 18.30, 42.80.[bullet ad=”stonestreet-trainingalum”]Also Ran: No Dozing, Gunnevera, Singing Bullet, Bitumen, Tiz Trevor, Blame Will, Perro Rojo, Holiday Bonus, Honor Thy Father. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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