2-year-old champ likely for Oaklawn

Classic Empire, horse racing’s 2-year-old champion last year, is expected to compete in the Arkansas Derby in April.
Classic Empire, horse racing’s 2-year-old champion last year, is expected to compete in the Arkansas Derby in April.

Classic Empire, last year's 2-year-old male champion, is being pointed to Oaklawn Park's $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 15.

Trainer Mark Casse announced the decision after Classic Empire, a son of Pioneerof the nile, worked 5 furlongs from the starting gate Tuesday morning at Winding Oak Farm in Ocala, Fla.

Multiple thoroughbred industry news outlets reported Casse's decision.

Classic Empire would be the second 2-year-old champion in three years to run in the Arkansas Derby. American Pharoah won the 2015 Arkansas Derby and became the first 3-year-old in 37 years to sweep thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.

Classic Empire, a winner of 4 of 5 starts en route to winning the Eclipse Award as the nation's top 2-year-old colt or gelding, came into his 3-year-old season as the No. 1 contender on the Kentucky Derby trail, but he has done nothing to enhance his reputation.

His only start resulted in a third-place finish in the Feb. 4 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla.

An abscess in his right front foot was discovered and kept him out of his next scheduled start, the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream, and his return to the races suffered multiple setbacks when he twice refused to work at Palm Meadows training center near Gulfstream.

Casse vanned the colt to Ocala, which has more clay in its surface, and Classic Empire has responded with two 5-furlong workouts -- 1:01.40 on March 22 and 59.60 on Tuesday.

"He gets things in his mind sometimes, and we just thought maybe something was bothering him [at Palm Meadows]," Casse said. "I know that personally, sometimes if you've had a bad experience somewhere, you feel it. That was our thought, and we got him out of there. My only regret is that maybe I should have done it earlier."

Casse said the surface at Winding Oak is comparable to Churchill Downs in that it has more clay than some tracks.

Casse told media outlets that Classic Empire would run in the Arkansas Derby because "it gives us an extra week."

It also would let them avoid the undefeated McCraken, who is targeting the $1 million Blue Grass on April 8 at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

"Right now, the toughest horse out there is McCraken," Casse said. "We'll wait and meet McCraken at the Derby."

Casse said he spoke with owner John Oxley before making the decision.

"It allows us to put one more big work into him, whereas we were kind of messed up with the timing as far as the Blue Grass," Casse said.

Plans call for the colt to work one more time at Winding Oaks before being shipped to Churchill late next week. He will train there before being shipped April 12 to Oaklawn.

The Arkansas Derby would give Classic Empire two starts this season going into the Kentucky Derby, which falls three weeks after the Arkansas Derby. Classic Empire started five times as a 2-year-old, capping his season with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at the Santa Anita Derby. He currently ranks 11th on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard with 32 qualifying points.

Information for this article was contributed by drf.com, bloodhorse.com and the paulickreport.com.

Sports on 03/29/2017

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