Classic Empire comes back strong to win Breeders’ Futurity
The Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity favorite Classic Empire didn’t just live up to expectations, but he put on a show to prove he truly was the horse to beat. After not making it through the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes, Classic Empire ran his best yet in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and left the other 11 two-year-olds well behind.
When the gates opened, longshot Wild Shot was fast out of the gate and grabbed the lead first time into the stretch, with Classic Empire settling on the outside in third behind Blame Will. Wild Shot led the first half-mile in fractions of :23.38 and :46.63 before jockey Julien Leparoux asked Classic Empire to make his move. The Pioneerof the Nile colt then surged to lead with three-quarters of a mile going in 1:11.17.
Classic Empire, who wore blinkers for the first time, had plenty left when he hit the homestretch and finished the mile and a sixteenth race in 1:43.41. Lookin at Lee made a late run from last to get second and Wild Shot held for third, but there was no catching the winner as he pulled away by three lengths.
Classic Empire paid $5.20, $4.20, and $3.40 at 8-5 while 18-1 runner-up Lookin at Lee delivered $12.00 and $8.00. Wild Shot’s 42-1 odds brought $18.20 to show. No Dozing ran fourth, followed by Gunnevera, Singing Bullet, Bitumen, Tiz Trevor, Blame Will, Perro Rojo, Holiday Bonus, and Honor Thy Father.
“This is a very, very talented horse,” said Norm Casse, assistant to his father and trainer Mark Casse. “The day after the Hopeful (G1) (when he wheeled at the start and lost his rider), 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.”
Leparoux commented, “Today he broke sharp and was all business. 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.”
After breaking his maiden first time out and winning the Grade 3 Bashford Manor, both races at Churchill Downs, Classic Empire was sent to Saratoga for a shot in the Grade 1 Hopeful. As the gates opened, Classic Empire reeled to the right and unseated Irad Ortiz, Jr. Though disappointing, the colt came back in a big way with his Breeders’ Futurity win, getting his third victory in four starts and boosting his earnings to $385,920. Classic Empire was bred by Steven and Brandi Nicholson, and was purchased by John Oxley for $475,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale.
The Breeders’ Futurity is a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, giving Classic Empire an automatic berth into the race. Should the colt make the trip to Santa Anita Park for Breeders’ Cup, he will certainly be one of the top two-year-olds to look out for.
By Christine Oser