#1 TWEETSTER ($5.00) breaks her maiden on debut in R8 at Oaklawn Park. @NormCasse trains this three-year-old filly by @CoolmoreAmerica's Practical Joke. @RSantana_Jr was in the irons for this powerful victory. pic.twitter.com/BXOfRJl4m5

— TVG (@TVG) March 29, 2024

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Deuce Greathouse was candid in his reply. “It was not an option,” he said, “for that not to happen.”

Raised the way he was, Greathouse knows that there are never any guarantees with horses. Since taking his cue that day, indeed, Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) has himself demonstrated as much by coming up with an ankle issue shortly before the GI Hopeful S. There will be no Derby trail for him, then, though he appears highly eligible to pick up the Triple Crown pieces as a fresh horse in the summer.

And at least he did what was required, that crucial day at Saratoga.

“It did not cross my mind,” he says of the idea that Rhyme Schemes might not follow up his stunning maiden success at Ellis Park. “I would not allow myself to imagine how bad a spot I was going to be in, if that horse didn't win the Saratoga Special. Because that's just the way we play, that's the way we're in the game.”

Rhyme Schemes is a flagship for Pura Vida, a partnership Greathouse has put together over the past three years or so. As we'll hear, it's definitely a program tailored to the modern marketplace. At the same time, however, it adapts a precious legacy–and not just the horsemanship inherited by the whole clan, long associated with Glencrest Farm.

Greathouse remembers Rusty Arnold saying that his father David, lost at just 63 in 2013, was the only person who still “did everything.” He raced horses, gambled, bred and consigned, sold shares and seasons. In other words, it was action all the way; and it was all about the action.

“A lot of the older guys have told me that I'm kind of the last of a dying breed, as far as the real gambling side of the racing,” Greathouse remarks. “Now a lot of my good friends are pinhookers, and they've got their farms and everything. But you don't really see the guys that just live gambling, just buying and trading horses like we used to.”

And that's why he suspected that there might be a niche for something like Pura Vida. Too many partnerships, he felt, were too woolly and discouraging in their aspirations. He wanted players who would tease out the odds: hedge here, roll the dice there, try to offset the investment as they went along.

“It's like all these people that are getting in are basically being told, 'Hey, you got to love the game so much that you're willing to burn $50,000, or whatever,'” Greathouse says. “And I just thought that was B.S. I mean, most of us that make a living in the horse business never start racing partnerships. You'll see a good guy try it once in a while, buy a few with a couple of buddies. They either have luck or they don't. But I grew up with gamblers. I mean, real gamblers. And a lot of the horses that we did well with, and sold, it was like I said: not doing well was not an option. Because if they didn't pan out, I was gone.”

That approach is bound to bring the odd bump in the road, but it also meant that Greathouse could fire up his resume with early involvement in names as illustrious as Tepin (Bernstein) and Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil).

In a way it was picking out the latter, when she failed to sell at Keeneland September, that satisfied Greathouse that he could and should make something like Pura Vida happen.

“I knew that the reserve was $20,000,” he explains. “So I stood next to WinStar and made sure nobody was going to bid that, let them haw and hem, and tried to get her for $15,000. But they wouldn't, so I took the $20,000. I was just trying to be cheap! But I was not going to leave without the filly. And when she broke her maiden, we sold [a majority share] based on $600,000.”

As a GI Kentucky Oaks winner, of course, she would bring $5 million at Fasig-Tipton on her retirement and Greathouse had, by then, long sold his remaining stake.

“But I'd do it again,” he insists. “I'd do it five times in a row. I had to, to make a living. And listen, I was proud to have done so. Of course, it would have been cool, to have still owned a piece of an Oaks winner. But when someone asked whether that was a little bittersweet, I could truthfully say no. What it did do, was make me decide that I needed to raise more money, and do this properly, if I wanted my partners to be able to keep pieces of their great horses.

“And that's what it's all about. You sell. I'm always going to sell, to prove to those guys we can keep it going. But now I can sell a minority piece instead. When I was doing it myself, I always had to lose any control. You make your money, but then you might have to watch horses railroaded by the wrong people, in how they handle them.”

Shedaresthedevil was trained to break her maiden by Norm Casse, who also handles Rhyme Schemes as Pura Vida's principal trainer. (Also on the roster are Mike Maker and Bruce Levine.) Greathouse and Casse got to know each other in the slipstream of Tepin, trained by Casse's father Mark. When Casse went solo, Greathouse promised him support–albeit he now questions quite how helpful he was being.

“I think Norm had 20 horses in training, and 10 were mine,” he says. “But I was trying to survive, and he had to deal with horses that I tended to have only because they didn't sell. They usually had some vet things, and you knew they'd be limited before they ever got going. So it was a tough job for him, starting out.

“I had tried to buy way too cheap: most were 10 to 20 grand. And that really helped change my opinion on exactly how to do it. You still have to be very sharp about what you pay, but you don't want to force yourself to buy at too low a level. It can work, but it's not going to work every year. And, to keep going, this needed to come up with a good horse every year.”

They now seem to be managing just that. Bankrolled initially by Brett Setzer, Cindy Hutson and Greathouse, with some back-up from Tom Romano and Alan Usher, the budget was upgraded to around $370,000 on seven horses. In the buyer's market of the pandemic year, Greathouse “was really just looking for nice fillies in the back ring and letting it all kind of fall together.”

Ontheonesandtwos (Jimmy Creed) was one of those, sent to Casse as a $37,000 Keeneland September yearling.

“She was out of a Malibu Moon mare that could run some but didn't have a lot of page,” Greathouse recalls. “After she broke her maiden, we sold a third for $200,000. We had another filly that ran second at Saratoga on debut. We'd paid $42,000 for her, and sold a quarter for $75,000. So they kind of got it going, showed people what could be done if somebody's picking them out that knows what they're doing.”

To secure which advantage, partners in Pura Vida commit to leaving decision-making to its founder.

“It's for their own protection,” Greathouse explains. “I still talk to everybody, see what they're thinking, and try to make decisions–when I can–based on what the group wants. But it protects them from me making a mistake, and letting somebody into the partnership that proves a real pain in the ass! I grew it very slow on purpose, because I knew the group really enjoyed each other. Obviously that helps you strengthen and build. If I tried to build too quick, let a bunch of people in, it could ruin the whole culture.”

Greathouse and his father had always been amazed by the presumption of successful people who enter this arcane and challenging environment expecting to nail it overnight.

“My dad always used to laugh about these guys,” Greathouse says. “They come in and they have a plan. And they know nothing. Men and women who made a fortune doing other things on sound business principles, they get into this, they get in front of the lights and throw everything out the window. And then a few years down the road they're bitching about bills, and wanting to blame you!”

Both funding and discipline were in place, then, by the time Greathouse came across a Ghostzapper colt in the Paramount Sales consignment at last year's Keeneland September Sale.

“I believe he was the very end of Book 2,” he recalls. “That's kind of where my price range started in that sale: everything I bought came between there and Book 3. This time round, it took until the very end of Book 3 to buy one or two, and then we bought everything in Book 4! So you just have to deal with what the market gives you.

“Anyway he's a gorgeous horse. In all my years, pinhooking and everything else, somehow I don't think I've ever owned a Ghostzapper. And, as I said, our focus is always on fillies. But I had a little more money to spend, so wanted to add a couple colts. You never know, you might come up with a Derby horse in the package without trying to buy 10 colts a year on a feast-or-famine deal.

“He was my kind of horse: medium-sized, pretty head, extremely well balanced. That hind leg, which I learned from Ciaran and Amy Dunne, that we all look for when buying for the 2-year-old sales. And not too heavy. I've stopped trying to buy heavier colts. They just don't hold up. You trick yourself into these big, gorgeous colts–but they're just not sound. Certainly they can't have a heavy neck because, to me, that's just all weight on the knees. I mean, $210,000 was a lot of money for me, so he had everything I liked in a horse.”

As usual, Geoff Mulcahy was entrusted with the colt's education.

“As far as I'm concerned, the earliest any of them will ever run is April or May,” Greathouse declares. “So I don't want to pay to ship them all to Florida and ship them all back here. Geoff does a great job. I'm out there three or four mornings a week in the winter watching them train. That allows me to see how they're doing–which need to be turned out, which we go on with, which trainer might suit them best.”

The Ghostzapper colt was always obliging, equal to anything he was asked.

“Didn't matter if you breezed him with a really good horse, or a mediocre one,” Greathouse says. “He never let them get ahead of him. At the same time, he never blew you away. He did everything evenly. With Geoff, we do a lot of two-minute licks, a lot of slow three-eighths. We just build them up and then let them gallop out. So you build a lot of stamina in the babies.”

Sitting down with Casse in the spring, they agreed that a horse of this kind of cost and profile shouldn't be cranked up to explode into the shop window on debut. So Rhyme Schemes was left space to learn from his first experience at Churchill in May.

“He was fit enough to run, but by no means sharp,” Greathouse recalls. “And when he didn't break, and that stuff hit him in the face for the first time, he just kind of ran around there. You didn't necessarily know what to make of it. But he came back a little stronger, we put blinkers on him. And I will say that Ricardo [Santana Jr., jockey], when he breezed him after that first race, said that nobody was going to beat him next time.”

They went to the windows, sure enough, but nobody was expecting to see something quite so electric.

“He just flapped the reins on his neck, and all of a sudden he's gone,” Greathouse marvels.

And it was exactly the same at Saratoga, when even the winning margin was identical: 9 1/2 lengths.

To recuperate from his setback, Rhyme Schemes has gone “home” to Duignan's Springhouse Farm. (Duignan not only helped to consign the horse as a yearling but is nowadays a syndicate partner). The team was never going to take risks simply for the sake of a little Derby fever.

“We're going to go take our time with him and hopefully have a good 3-year-old,” Greathouse promises. “Knock wood, he's been a great patient. He has an incredible mind, and that has been so helpful. When they're high-strung and stupid, they just hurt themselves again.”

In the meantime, there's much else to keep the Pura Vida team excited.

“We've four or five fillies we really like that haven't run yet,” Greathouse says. “There'll always be a couple that won't work out. But that's kind of the point. My job is not to have any pride, to identify those that need to come off the payroll so that the good ones aren't covering them.”

Whatever happens, a runaway Saratoga Special winner is quite a find among no more than 10 recruits.

“I don't analyze the crosses so much,” Greathouse says of his catalogue work. “We should all know, just from doing it our whole lives, which ones work. Really I just try to look at a pedigree and say, 'Would it shock me if this page produced a racehorse?' Whether there's two dams there that are basically blank, but it's an incredible family below; or whether a family is pretty weak on the bottom, but the mare could really run herself.

“My dad also always told me that a mare can make her own pedigree. A stallion can't. You don't see stallions with no page making it. But he said, 'You see fillies all the time that were just freaky racehorses, out of nowhere, and that's basically the bottom of the family tree.'”

The one thing any Greathouse will always have, of course, is a great pedigree of his own.

“Dad's friends would tell you that it was almost weird how close he and I were,” this one recalls. “I mean, we were together 24/7. So in the amount of time I had with him, I guess I absorbed everything I could. I'll never have his personality. I'm more of an introvert. But yeah, everything about the horsemanship side, and dealing with people, I learned from Dad. He was a legend, and his word was good. It's now 10 years since he passed away and even today, anywhere I am, I have people coming up to me saying, 'I still miss your father.'”

His Uncle John was a significant mentor, too, especially in the selection of young stock.

Overall Greathouse's orientation was always towards the racetrack, meaning that it worked out ideally when his cousin, the younger John, found himself drawn to farm life.

“So I kind of branched away [from Glencrest],” Greathouse explains. “John had gone to the Irish National Stud, he'd really learned a lot in a short period, and he loved foaling, which I never did. What I loved was getting them from weaning, prepping them for the sales, and then breaking them: just anything going towards the racetrack.”

The Pura Vida brand, which borrows Costa Rica's catch-all salutation, was chosen for its upbeat vibe. Because this is a program that likes to get on the front foot, trying to force gaps in the market.

“You're constantly having to buy new horses with money you make,” Greathouse says. “And the expenses that come with them are getting more and more insurmountable. But from the time I was little, you don't buy racehorses to win a maiden race. You're trying to hit a home run. And there's got to be something about that horse, whether you buy it for $20,000 or $500,000, that makes you really believe; that makes you feel there's a something in there that could turn out to be a little bit special.”

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The Pura Vida Investments LLC colorbearer is currently laid up with Gabriel “Spider” Duignan at Springhouse Farm in Kentucky and could resume light training in March.

“He's doing great,” Pura Vida's managing partner Deuce Greathouse said. “He wasn't going to make the Derby preps, so we decided to give him some extra time. We'll have him ready by late spring/early summer if we have no hiccups.”

He added, “He needed plenty of time, but it wasn't something that should hinder him going forward. He's got a really good mind on him, so he's been a good patient. Knock wood, everything has gone to plan to this point. I don't want to jinx anything, but he's on schedule.”

A well-beaten sixth in a live maiden special weight on debut at Churchill Downs May 18, Rhyme Schemes won his next two starts with the addition of blinkers by a combined margin of 19 lengths. He was a daylight, front-running winner with a gaudy 94 Beyer Speed Figure at second asking at Ellis June 15, then showed a different dimension by rallying powerfully from fourth after bumping with a rival at the start in the 6 1/2-furlong Saratoga Special.

“We'll let him tell us when he's ready,” Greathouse said. “We'll probably just give him an a-other-than (allowance), and if that goes to plan, then look at stakes.”

Rhyme Schemes, one of 54 graded stakes winners worldwide for Ghostzapper, brought $210,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. He is the second foal out of the winning Distorted Humor mare and $575,000 OBS April breezer Katherine, who hails from the extended female family of GISWs Dream Rush (Wild Rush), Dreaming of Julia (A. P. Indy), Malathaat (Curlin), et al. The Ghostzapper x Distorted Humor cross is also responsible for GISWs Guarana and Molly Morgan. Rhyme Schemes was bred in Kentucky by Parks Investment Group, LLC.

“He's such a cool horse,” Greathouse said. “With his pedigree to go long, and as deep as that family is, we couldn't be more excited. Now, we just gotta keep our fingers crossed and hope that he comes back the same horse that he was. Physically, there's no reason for me to think that he's one of those early 2-year-olds that won't develop into a 3-year-old.”

Greathouse concluded, “It was obviously heartbreaking not getting to go to those big races at the end of his 2-year-old-year. Hopefully, it's for bigger and better things down the road.”

RHYME SCHEMES wins the Herb Moelis Memorial Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) impressively with @RSantana_Jr up for @NormCasse! #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/9q8ISdQ4uK

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 12, 2023

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Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

The TDN also posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These include decisions from around the country.

California
Track: Del Mar
Date: 09/10/2023
Licensee: Antonio Fresu, jockey
Penalty: One-day suspension
Violation: Exceeding number of designated race rides
Explainer: Jockey Antonio Fresu is suspended for 1 additional suspension day (October 14, 2023) pursuant to California Horse Racing Board rule #1766 (Designated Races – participated in more than one designated race on September 9, 2023).

NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS
The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal and through the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit's “pending” and “resolved” cases portals.

This does not include the voided claim rulings which were sent to the TDN directly. Some of these rulings are from prior weeks as they were not reported contemporaneously.

One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race.

Violations of Crop Rule
Colonial Downs
Ismerio Villalobos – violation date Sept 8; $250 fine but no further records of the ruling

Horseshoe Indianapolis
Miguel Angel Perez – violation date Sept 6; $250 fine but no further records of the ruling
Richard Edgardo Eramia – violation date Sept 6; $250 fine but no further records of the ruling

Remington Park
Jane Pamela Elliott – violation date Sept 5; $250 fine but no further records of the ruling

Pending ADMC Violations
Date: 08/17/2023
Licensee: Norm Casse, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Intra-articular injection
Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3314–Use or Attempted Use of a Controlled Medication Substance or a Controlled Medication Method–on the horse, Mo Flight. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4222–Intra-Articular Injections Within Seven (7) Days of Timed and Reported Workout.

Date: 08/13/2023
Licensee: Jennifer Nunnally, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone–Controlled Medications (Class C)–in a sample taken from Seraphimzale. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 08/12/2023
Licensee: Robert Klesaris, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone–Controlled Medications (Class C)–in a sample taken from Battalion, who won at Laurel Park on 8/12/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 08/10/2023
Licensee: Carlos Lopez, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Intra-articular injection
Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3313–Use or Attempted Use of a ControlledMedication Method and/or Controlled Medication Substance during the Race Period–on the horse, I said Hey. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4221–Alkalinization or Use of an Alkalinizing Agent (TCO2)

Date: 08/10/2023
Licensee: Carlos Lopez, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Intra-articular injection
Explainer: A possible violation of Rule 3313–Use or Attempted Use of a ControlledMedication Method and/or Controlled Medication Substance during the Race Period–on the horse, Brodytheoxman. This is also a possible violation of Rule 4221–Alkalinization or Use of an Alkalinizing Agent (TCO2)

Date: 08/08/2023
Licensee: Michael Pappada, trainer
Penalty: Provisionally suspended
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Tapentadol–a banned substance–in a sample taken from Truckin Tommy, who finished third at Presque Isle Downs on 8/8/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3212–Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

Date: 08/06/2023
Licensee: Cesar De Alba, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Dexamethasone–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Scary Fast Smile, who finished seventh at Del Mar on 8/6/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of a Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List Workout).

Date: 08/04/2023
Licensee: Devarus Douglass, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone–Controlled Medications (Class C)–in a sample taken from Pickle Feet. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 08/04/2023
Licensee: Jaime Cruz, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Detomidine–Controlled Medications (Class B)–in a sample taken from Animal Princess, who finished third at Delaware Park on 8/4/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 08/03/2023
Licensee: James Toner, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone–Controlled Medications (Class C)–in a sample taken from Commandeer, who won at Colonial Downs on 8/3/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 07/18/2023
Licensee: Jeffrey Englehart, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Acepromazine–Controlled Medications (Class B)–in a sample taken from Wait A Minute. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 07/14/2023
Licensee: Carla Gaines, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Acepromazine–Controlled Medications (Class B)–in a sample taken from Summer Lake. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 07/01/2023
Licensee: Domenick Schettino, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Levamisole–Controlled Medication (Class B)–in a sample taken from Fast Study, who finished second at Belmont Park on 7/1/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 06/18/2023
Licensee: Chris Allen Hartman, trainer
Penalty: Pending
Alleged Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: For the presence of Acepromazine–Controlled Medications (Class B)–in a sample taken from Necker Island, who won at Ellis Park on 6/18/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Resolved ADMC Violations
Date: 08/04/2023
Licensee: Jorge Maravilla, trainer
Penalty: 7-day period of Ineligibility, beginning on September 12, 2023; Disqualification of Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a fine of $1,000; imposition of 2 Penalty Points.
Explainer: For the presence of Gabapentin–Controlled Medications (Class B)–in a sample taken from Stretch Run, who finished seventh at Santa Rosa on 8/4/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers (Post-Race/Vets' List).

Date: 07/29/2023
Licensee: Andy Mathis, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of the Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a $500 fine; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.
Explainer: For the presence of Phenylbutazone–Controlled Medications (Class C)–in a sample taken from Like No Other, who finished eighth at Del Mar on 7/29/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

Date: 07/13/2023
Licensee: Christophe Clement, trainer
Penalty: A fine of $500; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.
Explainer: For the presence of Dantrolene–Controlled Medications (Class C)–in a sample taken from My Royal Vow. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

Date: 07/09/2023
Licensee: Jackie Riddle, trainer
Penalty: Disqualification of the Covered Horse's Race results, including forfeiture of all purses and other compensation, prizes, trophies, points, and rankings and repayment or surrender (as applicable); a $500 fine; imposition of 1.5 Penalty Points.
Explainer: For the presence of Methocarbamol–Controlled Medication (Class C)–in a sample taken from Drinkroundthetruth, who finished second at Ruidoso Downs on 7/9/23. This is a possible violation of Rule 3312–Presence of Controlled Medication Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.

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Jockey Luis Saez was alert and conscious following the spill, but was strapped to a backboard by attending paramedics and sent by ambulance to Albany Medical Center with pain in his shoulder/collarbone area.

An official statement from a New York Racing Association (NYRA) spokesman said, “During the running of Race 7 on Wednesday at Saratoga Race Course, Burning Bright (#3) appears to have had a major cardiovascular event in the clubhouse turn causing his sudden death. Burning Bright was trained by Norm Casse and ridden by Luis Saez, who was unseated and will be transported to Albany Medical Center for further evaluation. Saez was conscious and alert with movement in all extremities and complaining of pain in his shoulder/collarbone.”

Saez had picked up the mount on GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) in Saturday's upcoming GI Travers S.

An additional NYRA statement added: “Five horses have sustained catastrophic injuries during racing at the 2023 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which opened on July 13 and has featured 2,226 horses starting in 294 races. One horse (Burning Bright) died suddenly during the running of a race due to a major cardiovascular event.”

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“Everything looks good [Sunday] morning and he seems happy; no complaints,” said Casse, who celebrated his fifth career graded victory. “Overall, it's so rewarding. I've been doing this for a long time and Saratoga is an iconic place–the Saratoga Special is an iconic race. Just to be involved is humbling, and to win it is something to be really proud of.”

Sixth on debut in May at Churchill Downs, he rebounded with the addition of blinkers to score at second asking June 15 at Ellis.     He proved his versatility in the Saratoga Special while winning under regular rider Ricardo Santana, Jr.

“He's a true professional,” said Casse. “We don't have to do too much with him because he's so talented; we just let him go through the motions between races, and that's good enough for him. That's what's most exciting about him is the fact that we haven't really had to grind on him to get him to this place where he is now.”

The colt will now be pointed to the Spa's seven-furlong GI Hopeful S. Sept. 4, which will likely be used a springboard to Keeneland's GI Breeders' Futurity going a 1 1/16-miles on Oct. 7.

“Unless he suggests otherwise, I think that's the most rational thing to do,” said Casse. “I know he's still a fresh horse and I can't imagine why he can't come back in three weeks and run just as well. Ideally, the Hopeful will be next and then the Breeders' Futurity after that. The way he trains and his overall demeanor suggests he's a two-turn horse. The horses have the answers, so we'll figure it out as we do it.”

In the juvenile filly division, Casse is represented by recent maiden winner Empire Island (Classic Empire), who is possible to try Grade I company in the Sept. 3 Spinaway S. A homebred for Marylou Whitney Stables, Empire Island came from off the pace to earn a 3/4-length score over Lady Moscato (Quality Road) in a six-furlong maiden special weight Aug. 6.

“There's a slight chance she could come back in the Spinaway, but she's going to have to train herself into that spot,” said Casse. “I feel like she's kind of the opposite of Rhyme Schemes in that we had to press on her a little bit more. It seems like the race took a little more out of her. That's a pretty salty spot, and I need a fresh, ready horse for that.”

Casse added that Robert Masterson's GII Fair Grounds Oaks winner Southlawn (Pioneerof the Nile) remains possible for Saturday's GI Alabama S., but is also considering the Cathryn Sophia S. Aug. 22 at Parx.

“There's an outside chance she could run in the Alabama, but she's got multiple options,” said Casse. “I'm leaning towards running her in something a little less demanding. I feel like she's lost her mojo a little bit and it's my job to get that back. Sometimes, the best way to do that is a little bit of class relief.”

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After bumping into 'TDN Rising Star' Edified (Tapit) at the start, the even-money favorite sat in the garden spot in an outside joint third through an opening quarter in :22.18. He loomed up with authority while three wide approaching the quarter pole and blew the race apart from there, running up the score in the stretch to win by 9 1/2 lengths. Longshot Market Street (Street Boss) was second. It was another 3/4 of a length back to second- choice Haul (Army Mule) in third.

A well-beaten sixth on debut behind subsequent Bashford Manor S. runner-up Wilson Q (Constitution) and troubled GIII Sanford S. runner-up Gold Sweep (Speightstown) in a very live maiden special weight at Churchill Downs May 18, Rhyme Schemes looked like a different horse with first-time blinkers, airing by 9 1/2 lengths second out going 5 1/2 furlongs at Ellis Park June 15. He earned a gaudy 94 Beyer Speed Figure that day, the highest of any 2-year-old in the country this season.

“There's always pressure,” winning trainer Norm Casse said. “The problem with Saratoga is I'm never 100% confident. I knew the horse was very talented from the onset. Right when we got him, I could tell that he had multiple gears underneath him. That number [94 Beyer Speed Figure last out] was so big it was hard to believe. I needed some more affirmation and I think we got it today.”

Rhyme Schemes will return in Saratoga's seven-furlong GI Hopeful S. on closing weekend Sept. 4.

“We skipped the Sanford with the intention of running him twice,” Casse said. “Here today and coming back in the Hopeful. I think going forward, he's going to be a better two-turn horse, but that remains to be seen.”

Winning owner Deuce Greathouse of Pura Vida Investments added, “The time he ran at Ellis was the first time we gave him his head and let him out, and today was the second time and you see what he does. It's kind of jaw dropping when he does it and sprints away like that.”

Pedigree Notes:

Rhyme Schemes, a $210,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, becomes the 97th stakes winner/51st graded winner worldwide for Ghostzapper. The Ghostzapper/Distorted Humor cross is also responsible for GISWs Guarana and Molly Morgan. The winning dam Katherine, a $575,000 OBS April breezer, produced a colt by Honor A. P. in 2022 and a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) in 2023. She was bred back to Honor A. P. This is the extended female family of GISWs Malathaat (Curlin), Dream Rush (Wild Rush), Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), et al.

Saturday, Saratoga
HERB MOELIS MEMORIAL SARATOGA SPECIAL S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-12, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.12, ft.
1–RHYME SCHEMES, 120, c, 2, by Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Katherine, by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Eileen's Dream, by Bernardini
3rd Dam: Turbo Dream, by Unbridled
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($210,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Pura Vida Investments LLC; B-Parks
Investment Group, LLC (KY); T-Norm W Casse; J-Ricardo
Santana Jr. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $180,950.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Market Street, 120, c, 2, Street Sense–Quality Way, by
Quality Road. 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($275,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Les Wagner; B-Robert & Lawana
Low (KY); T-D Wayne Lukas. $40,000.
3–Haul, 120, c, 2, Army Mule–Western Kitty, by Western Fame.
1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($260,000 2yo '23
OBSAPR). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & St Elias Stable;
B-KMN Racing LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 9HF, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 1.05, 12.90, 2.30.
Also Ran: Lasso, Edified, Woodcourt. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

RHYME SCHEMES wins the Herb Moelis Memorial Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) impressively with @RSantana_Jr up for @NormCasse! #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/9q8ISdQ4uK

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 12, 2023

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Marylou Whitney Stables, now operated by Hendrickson, won with its first starter at the meet when homebred Empire Island (Classic Empire) won the day's sixth race by three-quarters of a length over Lady Moscato (Quality Road). A six-furlong maiden race for 2-year-old fillies that was run at six furlongs, it had a purse of $136,500.

“It's awesome,” Casse said of his association with the Whitney stable. “This is such a humbling thing and it makes me really proud.”

Breaking from the rail under Ricardo Santana Jr., Empire Island broke alertly and settled into third as favorite Gypsy Tales (Munnings) went to the front. Lady Moscato moved first and got past Gypsy Tales but wasn't able to hold off Empire Island's late run.

Gypsy Tales, sent off at 9-5, tired in the stretch and finished sixth.

“She's the epitome of class,” Casse said. 'She acts like an older horse already. She's super talented. I was a little bit concerned today. She got up here and spiked a temperature and that's why she had to scratch opening day.  So she hasn't really been on a regular routine work pattern. So I was worried she might be short today. But this is a very talented horses and I am thrilled for the connections.”

Lady Moscato (Quality Road) is owned by BC Stables Ltd and is trained by Wayne Lukas. She was an $800,000 Keeneland September purchase and nearly gave the BC Stables-Lukas team its second maiden winner in as many days. They hit Saturday with Just Steel (Justify).

Empire Island's winning time was 1:11.79, while the first division of the race, won by 'TDN Rising Star' Ways and Means (Practical Joke) was clocked in 1:10.51.

#1 Empire Island breaks her maiden in R6 at Saratoga, wearing the Marylou Whitney silks for trainer @NormCasse with @RSantana_Jr aboard!

A 5/1 top #ExpertPick from @atTheTrack7!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/RUIFil4xGx

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) August 6, 2023

6th-Saratoga, $105,002, Msw, 8-6, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.79, ft, 3/4 length.
EMPIRE ISLAND (f, 2, Classic Empire–Gull Island, by Giant's Causeway) earned a sentimental 5-1 shot as a homebred for Saratoga's own Marylou Whitney Stables and settled in third just off the speed of post-time favorite Gypsy Tales (Munnings). Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. was asking her a long way from home but she began to respond with a move into upper stretch, taking aim on Lady Moscato (Quality Road) who had assumed command from Gypsy Tales. Up past that rival inside the final sixteenth, Empire Island gained a bit of separation on the wire for the three-quarter length win. The first foal of out of a daughter of champion 3-year-old filly Bird Town (Cape Town), Empire Island counts MGSW Bird Song (Unbridled's Song) and MGISW Birdstone (Grindstone) as members of her extended family. Gull Island has Vekoma yearling still to race and was bred to Twirling Candy for next year. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O/B-Marylou Whitney Stables LLC (KY); T-Norm W. Casse.

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The post Ghostzapper Juvenile Colt Romps at Ellis Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Trainer Brad Cox will have three chances, including the top two choices on the morning-line, to collect a third Oaks trophy following wins with Monomoy Girl in 2018 and Shedaresthedevil in 2020.

After sweeping the Oaklawn Park series for 3-year-old fillies, Godolphin homebred and 5-2 Oaks morning-line favorite Wet Paint (Blame) shoots for a fourth straight victory following a visually impressive come-from- behind win in the GIII Fantasy S. Apr. 1.

“She can make you a little nervous with her running style, but overall she's just been really consistent,” Cox said. “She'll love the mile and an eighth here. If she puts in her run, she's going to be tough. She just brings it every time.”

Front-running Bourbonette Oaks heroine Botanical (Medaglia d'Oro) could vie for favoritism with her stablemate despite never racing on dirt before. Cox will also saddle GII Fair Grounds Oaks third-place finisher The Alys Look (Connect).

“The Alys Looks is flying under the radar, but I love the way she's developing,” Cox said. “Botanical needs to step up on the dirt, but I like what I am seeing. Physically, she looks great. She's doing really well.”

Last year's champion 2-year-old filly Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) looks for her first victory since capturing the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland. She was a disappointing sixth behind Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic) in the GI Ashland S. at Keeneland Apr. 7.

Southlawn (Pioneerof the Nile) has taken a major step forward for trainer Norm Casse in two attempts since turning three, led by a 3 1/4-length victory over Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 25.

Affirmative Lady (Arrogate), hung out wide in post 13, also enters in top form following a breakthrough win in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks Apr. 1. She's gone two-for-two since adding blinkers for Graham Motion.

The gone-too-soon Arrogate, responsible for last year's Oaks winner Secret Oath, will also be represented by GISW and GII Santa Anita Oaks runner-up And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate).

With a delightful forecast calling for cloudy skies and a high of 75 degrees, the stacked 13-race Kentucky Oaks program also includes: a deep field of 10 in the GI La Troienne S., featuring last year's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Secret Oath (Arrogate); a fantastic renewal of the GII Alysheba S., led by GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. winner Art Collector (Bernardini); unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Munnys Gold (Munnings)'s graded stakes debut in the GII Eight Belles S.; and the grassy GII Edgewood S. and GIII Modesty S. Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel (Mizzen Mast) will also line up on the undercard in the Unbridled Sidney S.

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