Classic Empire Turns in First Move Since BC Victory

Great as a freshening can be a for a horse's development, horsemen battle certain nerves when the time comes to get their charges back to work. Will the top runner put away months before emerge as good, if not better, than their previous incarnation? And how much fitness was sacrificed during a needed bout of rest and relaxation?

The Casse Racing shedrow got their first positive answer to some of those questions Jan. 8 when Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Classic Empire worked four furlongs in :49 flat in company with stablemate Kaigun at Palm Meadows Training Center, the first move for the son of Pioneerof the Nile   since his likely championship-clinching triumph Nov. 5.

Norman Casse, son and top assistant to trainer and Eclipse Award finalist Mark Casse, said he caught Classic Empire with a gallop out in 1:02 on his watch. The clock only told half the story, however. The level of energy John Oxley's colt displayed back in the barn was the real litmus test in letting his connections know he is ready to get serious towards his seasonal bow, which could come in the Holy Bull Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park Feb. 4.

"He looked awesome," Norman Casse said. "Obviously you're a little concerned about where his fitness level is, but he showed really good energy. He came back to the barn, he was bouncing. The work didn't take anything out of him. 

"He obviously didn't lose too much fitness having his little bit of a break, and we can start some more serious work with him next week. The Holy Bull is still on the table. We'll just have to see what he does the next couple weeks."

Finding workmates who are good enough to keep Classic Empire honest in the AM has been one of happy challenges Norman Casse has dealt with. In seven-year-old graded stakes winner Kaigun, Casse thinks he has finally found a stablemate who can push the bay youngster as needed.

"This is a perfect scenario because Kaigun is a great work horse," Casse said. "Although he is a multiple graded stakes winner on the grass, he's actually a really good dirt work horse. They're basically both starting back and I would say they'll probably work together from here until they both start."

Classic Empire is the overwhelming favorite to earn the Eclipse Award for champion 2-year-old male following a 2016 campaign where his only blemish was a mental lapse. Aside from the Sept. 5 Hopeful (G1) where he wheeled out of the gate and dropped jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Classic Empire was a total professional in winning four of five starts, including the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) prior to his Breeders' Cup victory.

Grade I winner Pretty City Dancer was also among the Casse standouts on the Sunday worktab, going a half mile in company with graded stakes winner Riker in a bullet:47 4/5. Pretty City Dancer, who has not run since dead-heating for the win in the Sept. 3 Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, is likely to make her seasonal bow in the seven-furlong Forward Gal (G2) Feb. 4.

"She's doing exceptionally well," Norman Casse said.