John Oxley’s Classic Empire was on his best behavior Saturday at Keeneland, and the additional work his connections have done paid off with a victory in the $500,000, Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity.
John Oxley’s Classic Empire was on his best behavior Saturday at Keeneland, and the additional work his connections have done paid off with a victory in the $500,000, Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity.
The 2-year-old Pioneerof the Nile colt trained by Mark Casse infamously wheeled and dropped his rider at the start of the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes on Sept. 5 at Saratoga Race Course, but this time he ran straight and true to victory in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Futurity.
The final time was 1:43.41 on a fast track. Classic Empire paid $5.20, $4.20, and $3.60 under jockey Julien Leparoux.
“This is a very, very talented horse,” said Norm Casse, assistant to his father, Mark. “The day after the Hopeful, 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 more forward from here. You’ve got to think this horse has plenty of room to improve.”
With the win, Classic Empire earned an all-expenses-paid rip to the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile via the “Win and You’re In” challenge series.—Claire Novak