Neat Surges Up the Rail to Take Keeneland’s Transylvania

The temperature may be cooler in Lexington this week, but things heated up quickly on opening day at Keeneland with the first graded event of the spring at the Lexington oval coming down to a head bob. It took a photo to determine Red White and Blue Racing LLC's Neat (c, 3, Constitution–Orabella, by More Than Ready) had outpunched Mar. 2 Colonel Liam S. runner-up Cugino (Twirling Candy) by the slimmest of margins in the $400,000 GIII Transylvania S. for 3-year-olds going 1 1 1/16 miles on the lawn. Lagynos (Kantharos), back to the grass after failing to impact in deep waters in the GII Rebel S. and Smarty Jones S. in his last two, was third in a final time of 1:44.93.

“He's getting more mature and he's gotten better every start,” said winning trainer Rob Atras of his charge. “He had beaten arguably some lesser competition and today was a tough test, and he really showed up today. Honestly, I just think [jockey] Reylu [Gutierrez] did a great job. He had a tough time going into the first turn with him and obviously causing some havoc on the backside. He got him settled down and relaxed and really finished strong.”

Coming off a daylight win after settling the pace in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile S. Jan. 27 at Sam Houston, Neat was in the first flight early in the Transylvania and just a head off the call at the first fraction–a quarter in :23.98–while rank and visibly fighting Reylu Gutierrez before settling.

Gutierrez was able to ease the chestnut back on the inside, opening it up for the well-traveled Musical Act (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), second Mar. 2 in Dubai in the Jumeirah Classic, to take control with Cugino joining him soon after. Turning for home, Neat found his share of traffic while still covered up in fifth. An eighth from home and still in search of a seam, he split horses, just collaring Cugino from the inside at the last possible second after Musical Act surrendered and Lagynos surged while wide.

“Sometimes these 3-year-olds go through the holes and sometimes they don't,” said Gutierrez. “From the three-eighths pole it was all the horse. It was really tight down there but we waited as long as we could and when he saw that little bit of space, I mean, he certainly overcame me. It was all the horse.”

After two victories at this distance on the turf at both Laurel and Fair Grounds last year at two, Neat closed out 2023 with his lone main track attempt in the Gun Runner S. in New Orleans. He finished well back in sixth that day behind Track Phantom (Quality Road), also dropping his Beyer figure by 24 points. It was back to grass for the Texas Turf Mile, making Neat unbeaten in two starts at three with a four-for-five career tally on the grass.

Last year's Transylvania winner, BBN Racing's Mo Stash (Mo Town), was back again for Keeneland's opening day, winning a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance earlier on Friday's card in his first win since the race last year.

Pedigree Notes:

Hidden Brook Farm and Spruce Lane Farm together bred Neat in Kentucky and sold him to Andrew N. Warren as a Keeneland November weanling for $200,000. The colt returned to the same ring the next September, bringing the same price from Red White and Blue. Hidden Brook had purchased his unraced dam while she was carrying to Violence for $62,000 at Keeneland's 2015 November sale. That foal would become SW & MGSP Louder Than Bombs. The mare, who hails from the same family as 2010 GI Spinaway S. winner R Heat Lightning (Trippi), has a 2-year-old filly by Nyquist–sold for $80,000 to Hat Creek Racing at Keeneland September–and a yearling filly by Medaglia d'Oro. Orabella aborted her 2024 foal.

Neat becomes the 33rd graded winner for WinStar stallion Constitution, a MGISW and son of Tapit who also has 64 black-type winners and will send just his sixth crop to the races this year. The late More Than Ready, broodmare sire of the Transylvania winner, was also part of the WinStar stallion roster and has 174 stakes winners worldwide out of his daughters.

 

Friday, Keeneland
TRANSYLVANIA S. PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT-GIII, $397,263, Keeneland, 4-5, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.93, gd.
1–NEAT, 118, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Orabella, by More Than Ready
                2nd Dam: Hot Trip, by Trippi
                3rd Dam: Yellow Heat, by Gold Fever
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($200,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV;
$200,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Red White and Blue Racing LLC;
B-Hidden Brook Farm & Spruce Lane Farm (KY); T-Rob Atras;
J-Reylu Gutierrez. $226,300. Lifetime Record: 6-4-0-0,
$347,900. *1/2 to Louder Than Bombs (Violence), SW &
MGSP, $264,554. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Cugino, 118, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Adorable Miss, by Kitten's
Joy. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($225,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP).
O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig LLC; B-Gage Hill
Stables, LLC & W. S. Farish (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.
$73,000.
3–Lagynos, 118, c, 3, Kantharos–Steamy, by Speightstown.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '22
KEESEP). O-HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud; B-Robert
Spiegel (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $36,500.
Margins: NO, HF, 1. Odds: 13.41, 5.23, 31.75.
Also Ran: Lord Bullingdon, Musical Act (Ire), Can Group, Depiction, Guy Named Joe, First World War, Full Nelson, Oscar's World, Tennessee. Scratched: Camaro Z, Royal Majesty (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Norm Casse Enjoying the Ride with First Oaks Filly

Norm Casse lived in Louisville throughout most of his childhood, but one spring, he spent a few months in Ocala with his father. Norm was responsible for getting himself up and out the door for school each morning while his dad was busy at the training center.

One morning, as Kentucky Oaks day dawned, Norm's alarm never rang.

It was well into the morning before Mark Casse burst into his son's room in a panic. “Norman, why aren't you at school?” he cried.

“Dad, chill out,” retorted a teenaged Norm. “It's Kentucky Oaks day.”

That was the day that Norm Casse learned that the country's entire school system does not, in fact, shut down for Oaks day.

As a kid, the Kentucky Oaks marked a special occasion for Casse because it meant a Friday away from school in Louisville. Years later, after discovering his own passion for racing, working for his father for a decade, and now having trained on his own for six years, the Kentucky Oaks–and Derby week–has all come to mean so much more.

“I've been coming to the Oaks and Derby every year since 1995,” Casse reflected. “Even when I moved to Canada and worked for Dad up in Woodbine, the only weekend I ever took off was Derby weekend because I didn't want to break that streak. Being born and raised here is the reason why I do it. It's not because my family is involved. It's more because I love the Derby, the Oaks, and the whole week leading up to it.”

This year, Casse will saddle his first starter in one of those famed 3-year-old races with GI Kentucky Oaks contender Southlawn (Pioneerof the Nile). For Casse, who is a third-generation trainer and has already earned multiple graded stakes victories and just under 150 career wins, claiming his first Grade I on Friday would be a pinnacle moment.

“I can't really describe what it would mean to win the Kentucky Oaks,” he said. “All my friends and family are from here. They may not know what the Breeders' Cup Classic or the Pacific Class is, but they know what the Kentucky Oaks is. If we were able to win that, they'd look at me like a rock star.”

Casse comes to the Oaks with a filly that he and his team have always had high hopes for. Southlawn, a $290,000 yearling purchase for Robert Masterson, showed potential early on as a juvenile, but drawing out her true ability in the afternoons proved to be a puzzling task for Casse.

Southlawn takes to the main track at Churchill Downs | Sara Gordon

Southlawn was unplaced in her debut last June, finishing fifth behind none other than Mark Casse's future champion and Oaks contender Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief). After breaking her maiden by five lengths in her second start at Ellis Park, the filly from the final crop of Pioneerof the Nile was never a contender in the GIII Pocahontas S. and she came up empty in two tries on turf in the fall.

“After her last start on the grass here in the fall, we knew she was going to get the winter off,” Casse explained. “Tyler Gaffalione came back and said that she was having a lot of issues with her breathing. We sent her down to the Fair Grounds and we performed a myectomy on her. She's been undefeated ever since.”

The procedure seems to have solved any displacement issues the filly was dealing with as she has returned to the main track this year and has taken her first two sophomore starts by storm. She claimed an allowance at Fair Grounds by eight lengths in February and stamped her domination of the 3-year-old filly ranks in New Orleans with a win in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks.

Casse said that what has impressed him most about Southlawn's sophomore campaign is her developing running style.

“She doesn't have that early speed she had before,” he explained. “Now she makes a big, sustained run, which I think is going to be very beneficial in the Oaks. It just seems to me that she's better off breaking and trying to get a decent position, but then letting her get into her own rhythm and not forcing things too much. I like that she's so kind and professional now that no matter where we are in a race, we're still going to feel comfortable that she is going to run when Reylu asks her to run.”

Reylu Gutierrez, who competed in his first Kentucky Oaks last year, just claimed his first leading rider title at Fair Grounds earlier this year. The up-and-coming jockey has gained even more recognition while riding  a hot streak at Keeneland.

“I think one of the storylines that shouldn't go unsaid is that Reylu gets along with her really well,” Casse noted. “He's riding really well right now and he's so confident in her and in how she's training that it gives me a lot of confidence.”

Another essential character in Southlawn's storyline is of course her owner Robert Masterson.

The California-based owner had horses in training with Mark Casse for many years, highlighted by the outstanding two-time champion grass mare Tepin (Bernstein). Tepin was in the Casse barn at the same time that Norm was overseeing much of the stable.

Casse said that working with the talented filly and playing a role in her success at the top of the game, from the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Mile to the 2016 G1 Queen Anne S., gave him the confidence he needed to go out on his own. When Casse first set up his stable, Masterson was his first–and for a short time, his only–client.

Masterson has been involved in racing for over 40 years and explained why he wanted to support the fledgling trainer back in 2018.

“Norm was the one that really took care of Tepin the whole time she was there,” he said. “When he decided to go out on his own, I just felt an obligation. Everybody needs a shot and I felt like I could be the person to give him a shot. I'm not the guy who is going to have a 40-horse stable, and his father already had all these big owners, so I thought that I could give him four or five horses and that would help him out.”

Picked out by Deuce Greathouse, Southlawn was a $290,000 yearling purchase for Robert Masterson | Sara Gordon

While Casse's success quickly grew in those first few years, Masterson's horses ran through a streak of bad luck. But Masterson stuck with his trainer and was eventually rewarded for his faith with the success of Southlawn.

“We didn't have much luck in the beginning, but it wasn't because of Norm,” Masterson said. “I think he's a really good trainer and a good caretaker of the horse. You're going to look at him five years from now and people are going to go, 'Where'd he come from?'”

Other than horses he owns in partnership, Masterson sends all of his horses to Casse. His stable is off to a fast start in 2023 and Friday could set up to be a monumental day. On top of Southlawn's Oaks bid, Masterson's Grove (Munnings) and New Beat (Not This Time), both 3-year-old fillies coming off maiden wins, are aiming to get into the entries. He also has a juvenile filly named Loveland (Munnings) looking to make her debut.

Masterson, a graduate of the University of Maryland, said that Southlawn is named after a neighborhood in Maryland outside of Washington D.C. He explained that his mother moved to South Lawn to be close to him when he was in college and years later, his first son was born there.

While Masterson hinted at his excitement ahead of Oaks day, noting that this is his first starter in the historic contest, he added that he is hoping for a happy outcome because of the positive implications it would have for Casse, his longtime bloodstock agent Deuce Greathouse, and the filly's many other connections who are making a name for themselves in the industry.

“I've been in the business since 1980 and I've had a lot of great horses so I'm not nervous,” he said. “I just hope she gets all the right chances. We always thought she was really going to be good and when she came back as a 3-year-old, she was a monster.”

Southlawn will face her toughest competition yet on Friday. The rematch of Southlawn with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel might be the start of a friendly father-son rivalry at the highest levels of the sport.

“When I went out on my own, my dad kept talking about how he couldn't wait until the day where we starting running against each other in these marquee races,” Casse explained. “So here's our first opportunity and it's a very cool opportunity. I'm just proud of my entire team. I feel like one of the things that we've done right since I went on my own is that I've built a really nice team that I'm confident in. I think they make a big, big difference in the stable and how well we're doing.”

Derby Week brings an unparalleled kind of excitement to the Churchill Downs backside, but Casse said he plans to embrace the hubbub and take in every moment. After all, it's an opportunity he's been dreaming about for years.

“I think the filly is training so incredibly well,” he said. “She looks great and her coat is great. She seems happier than ever and I know we're ready. I'm sure I'm going to be extremely nervous the morning of, but right now I'm just trying to enjoy the ride.”

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Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings – Nov. 1-7

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

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

   With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week.

CALIFORNIA

Track: Santa Anita

Date: 11/06/2022

Licensee: Armando Aguilar, jockey

Penalty: One-day suspension, $250 fine

Violation: Excessive use of the whip

Explainer: Having violated the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Rule #2280 (c)(5) & (6) (Use of Riding Crop) and pursuant to Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Rule #2282 (Riding Crop Violations and Penalties – Class 3), Apprentice Jockey ARMANDO AGUILAR, who rode MONGOLIAN NINJA in the sixth race at Santa Anita Park on Nov. 4, 2022, is suspended for one (1) day Nov. 13, 2022), and fined $250.00 for over use of the riding crop after reaching its maximum placing. Furthermore, Apprentice Jockey ARMANDO AGUILAR is assigned three (3) violation points that will be expunged on May 6, 2023, six (6) months from the date of final adjudication pursuant to Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Rule #2282 (Riding Crop Violations and Penalties. Apprentice Jockey ARMANDO AGUILAR has accrued a total of three (3) points.

 

FLORIDA

The following ruling was reported on the ARCI's “Recent Rulings” webpage.

Track: Gulfstream Park

Date: 09/27/2022

Licensee: Nagib Aboughaida, trainer

Penalty: $500 fine, 15-day suspension

Violation: Medication violation

Explainer: 9/27/2022 – STEWARD'S RULING FINAL ORDER # 2022-027794 – F.S. 550.2415 VIOLATION = BOLDENONE. “CATCHING FISH” – $500 FINE IMPOSED AND DUE TO GSP/BOR 10/12/22; 15 DAY SUSPENSION IMPOSED (10/1/22 THROUGH AND INCLUDING 10/15/22); AND LOSS OF PURSE.

 

KENTUCKY

Track: Churchill Downs

Date: 10/30/2022

Licensee: Reyluis Gutierrez, jockey

Penalty: Five-day suspension

Violation: Careless riding

Explainer: Having withdrawn the appeal of Stewards Ruling #22-0117 issued July 17, 2022, Reyluis Gutierrez is now hereby suspended FIVE (5) racing days, Nov. 6 and Nov. 9 through Nov. 12, 2022 (inclusive).

 

Track: Churchill Downs

Date: 11/03/2022

Licensee: Ricardo Santana, Jr., jockey

Penalty: Five-day suspension

Violation: Careless riding

Explainer: After a hearing before the Board of Stewards, Ricardo Santana, Jr. who rode Echo Again in the eighth race at Churchill Downs on Oct. 30, 2022, is hereby suspended five (5) racing days, Nov. 6 and Nov. 9 through Nov. 12, 2022 (inclusive) for careless riding that occurred near the 7 1/2 furlong pole.

 

NEW HISA STEWARDS RULINGS

 

Note: While HISA has shared these rulings over the past week, some of them originate from prior weeks.

 

Violations of Crop Rule

 

Aqueduct

Jose Lezcano – ruling date Oct. 23, 2022

 

Delaware Park

Leonardo Corujo – ruling date Nov. 7, 2022

 

Finger Lakes

Christian Navarro – ruling date Nov. 7, 2022

 

Laurel Park

Luis Batista – ruling date Oct. 16, 2022

Jeiron Barbosa – ruling date Oct. 21, 2022

 

Mahoning Valley

Chelsey Keiser – ruling date Oct. 26, 2022

Odhair J. Mayta – ruling date Oct. 26, 2022

Luis Alberto Batista – ruling date Nov. 3, 2022

 

Braxton Carmouche – ruling date Nov. 3, 2022

 

Voided Claims

 

Delaware Park

Ghost Maiden – ruling date Oct. 27, 2022

 

Finger Lakes

Makeajoyfulnoise – ruling date Nov. 1, 2022

 

Hawthorne

Toddles – ruling date Oct. 30, 2022

Soul Story – ruling date Nov. 4, 2022

 

Horseshoe Indianapolis

Mi Estrella – ruling date Oct. 25, 2022

 

Mahoning Valley

Devil's Advocate – ruling date Oct. 25, 2022

 

Appeal Request Updates

 

Mountaineer Park

Marco Camaque

Crop rule violation

Ruling date Oct. 31, 2022

Appeal Filed Nov. 1, 2022

Stay granted

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Hot-Riding Reylu Gutierrez Voted Jockey Of The Week

Jockey Reylu Gutierrez has raced at 20 different racetracks in 2021, but he seems to have found a home at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, La. His stakes double earned Jockey of the Week honors for Dec. 20 through Dec. 26. The honor, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Gutierrez, riding regularly at Fair Grounds for the first time, has made an impact over the first month of the season. On Sunday, trainer Dallas Stewart enlisted Gutierrez to pilot Chess Chief in the aptly named Tenacious Stakes. Breaking from post 10, Chess Chief stalked the leaders while in heavy traffic for most of the run through the backstretch. At the top of the lane, it was a battle to the wire between Chess Chief, Happy American and Pirate's Punch. Chess Chief prevailed by the slimmest of margins in a final time of 1:43.39 for the 1 1/16-mile dirt contest.

In the following race, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen gave a leg up to Gutierrez on Halo Again in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial, held over 1 1/16 miles on the Stall-Wilson turf course. Quickest from the gate at odds of 8-1, Halo Again made every pole a winning one while repelling the late run of Pixelate and Monarchs Glen to post a one-half length win in 1:43.22. The win was Gutierrez's third of the day and the second riding for Asmussen.

“It means the world to me,” the 26-year-old Gutierrez told Fair Grounds publicity. “The credit goes to (agent) Jose Santos. “We're everywhere – I rode at Turfway on Thursday, here at Fair Grounds, at Oaklawn. I'm just trying work hard. I'd like to be a part of at least one horse for every stable on this backside and get everybody to know me. I'll ride for anybody. It doesn't have to be a favorite.”

A finalist for the 2018 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice, Gutierrez was born in Rochester, New York. He is the son of Finger Lakes trainer Luis Gutierrez and his uncle is retired Finger Lakes jockey Jose Gutierrez.

Weekly statistics for Gutierrez were 15-3-2-3 and purse earnings of $176,178. He currently sits in second place in Fair Grounds standings with 17 wins and $669,650 in purses.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Alex M. Cruz who was tied with Luis Saez for number of wins for the week, Kevin Roman with a 31.5 percent win rate, Luis Saez with two stakes wins, and John Velazquez who won the G1 La Brea.

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