Casse once again willing to take shot against males with Nitrogen, Classic Q
In North America, a filly or mare defeating males in a major race is a rare event, but for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse the feat has become almost routine.
This Saturday, Casse has entered Eclipse Award-winner Nitrogen in the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at 1 1/8 miles on the main track and Classic Q in the Grade 1, $750,000 Fourstardave at one mile on the turf, which respectively are “Win and You’re In” races for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Both races will be broadcast to a national audience on FOX as part of a two-hour edition of FOX Saratoga Saturday, which will begin at 5 p.m. Eastern. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.
Nitrogen, the winner of the 2025 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales who doubled her Saratoga Grade 1 tally last out win by taking the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford on June 5, will attempt to become the first female to win the Whitney since Hall of Famer Personal Ensign [1988]. Classic Q, who earlier on the June 5 card wired the field in the Grade 1 Just a Game presented by Resolute Racing, seeks to emulate Got Stormy, who captured the 2019 and 2021 editions of the Fourstardave for Casse.
In addition to Got Stormy, female runners from Casse’s barn who have defeated males in a major stakes include Dixie Strike [2012 Prince of Wales], My Conquestadory [2013 Grade 2 Summer], Lexie Lou [2014 Queen’s Plate], Catch a Glimpse [2016 Grade 3 Penn Mile], Wonder Gadot [2018 Queen’s Plate and Prince of Wales], and, most notably, Tepin [2015 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile, 2016 Group 1 Queen Anne and Grade 1 Woodbine Mile].
“I’m an old timer,” said Casse when asked about his willingness to enter females against open company. “I kind of beat to a different drum. There are so many factors when you sit there and look. For a lot of them, it’s where I feel like they have done all they can do. We don’t necessarily like to sit and feel comfortable. I have no problem stepping out a little bit. If you are afraid to get beat, you’ll never win. When I was younger – I’m talking about claiming horses, handicap horses – I would do it. And we would have great success.”
Running females in the Canadian Classics is relatively common as the Queen’s/King’s Plate, Prince of Wales, and Breeders’ Stakes are conducted well after the Woodbine Oaks, giving fillies the opportunity to compete against their own sex before taking on males in the Canadian Triple Crown. Fillies have defeated males in a Canadian Classic on 11 occasions so far in the 21st century.
“If you look at the King’s Plate or what was the Queen’s Plate, a lot of the fillies beat the colts,” said Casse. “And why? You don’t see that in the U.S. because there are equivalent races, so you are hardly going to see fillies run in the [Kentucky] Derby because you can run in the [Kentucky] Oaks. You are hardly going to see a filly run in the Travers because they can run in the Alabama. In Toronto, they have it set up so that [the Woodbine Oaks] moves you toward [the King’s Plate].”
Got Stormy, like Classic Q, was best at one mile on the turf, and Casse and her owners entered her three times in the Fourstardave – a race her sire Get Stormy won in 2010 – because of the summer’s lack of graded stakes restricted to fillies and mares at that distance. Sandwiched between Got Stormy’s 2019 and 2021 Fourstardave victories was a runner-up effort in 2020.
“One of the reasons why you see us run in the Fourstardave is that they are milers and there are limited spots for milers, so we are like, ‘well, we’ll go ahead and give colts a try,’” explained Casse.
Tepin never competed in the Fourstardave but all three of her wins against males came at one mile on the turf. For Tepin, facing males was a function of her having already won the Grade 1 Just a Game and Grade 1 First Lady against fillies and mares. For her accomplishments, Tepin was named Champion Grass Mare for 2015 and 2016 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022. Casse said that a win in the Whitney would similarly bolster Nitrogen’s legacy.
“Tepin was a case where she had done everything she can do,” said Casse. “I have said that about Nitrogen. Nitrogen is considered to be very good, but for her to be great…
“Tepin already is in the Hall of Fame,” Casse continued. “One of the things that put her in the Hall of Fame was beating colts and winning the Breeders’ Cup. If it’s possible, I would love to see Nitrogen in the Hall of Fame, but to do that she just can’t beat up on the girls.”
Casse said he is grateful to have had owners who are willing to race their fillies and mares against males.
“Not every owner is willing to do that,” said Casse. “Most of them would because most of them believe in giving me a chance. Most of our owners would say that we communicate, we talk about it a lot. So, this is a decision not just made by me. It’s made by them as well, and I give them options. I explain to them what I am thinking. My wife says it best: ‘it’s our job to supply the beacons. It’s their plane to fly.’ That’s one of the reasons why we have a wonderful group of people who have been with us for years and years.”
In addition to Personal Ensign, females to have won the Whitney include Black Maria [1928], Bateau [1929], Esposa [1937], and Hall of Famers Gallorette [1948] and Lady’s Secret [1986].
Other recent notable wins by fillies against males at Saratoga include Rachel Alexandra’s and Havre de Grace’s respective victories in the 2009 and 2011 editions of the Grade 1 Woodward. Both fillies were later named Horse of the Year, with Rachel Alexandra being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
“[A win in the Whitney] puts [Nitrogen] in the Hall of Fame, I think” said Casse, who later added, “Of course, if Nitrogen doesn’t run good, they’ll all be after me for being stupid, but what are you going to do?”
