Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Classic Empire to miss Haskell
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Mark Casse said Sunday that Classic Empire will not run in the $1 million Haskell and will be pointed instead to the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 26.
Classic Empire has missed some training time while fighting foot and back issues since finishing second, beaten a head by Cloud Computing, in the Preakness. He arrived at Saratoga from Churchill Downs last week and has been galloping over the Oklahoma training track, according to Casse.
The Grade 1 Haskell, the biggest race of the Monmouth Park meet, is July 30.
“He trained well [Sunday] morning, but I just don’t feel comfortable breezing him yet, and you can’t go into a race like the Haskell not getting to do everything you want him to do for the race,” Casse said. “I really needed to work him [Monday] if we were going to run, but he hasn’t been as aggressive the last few mornings as he had been prior to leaving Kentucky, and I want him to tell me when he’s ready to breeze, not the other way around.
“I think his back is bugging him a little again, which happens whenever he hurts his foot, and it’s something we’ll have to address.”
Classic Empire has had a difficult 3-year-old campaign that began with a disappointing performance at Gulfstream Park in the Holy Bull, after which he was diagnosed with a foot abscess. He wound up doing the bulk of his training back on a farm in Ocala, Fla., before rebounding to win the Arkansas Derby in impressive fashion off a 10-week hiatus. He finished a game fourth despite an eventful trip in the Kentucky Derby before being run down late by Cloud Computing after opening a long lead at midstretch in the Preakness.
“I know it’s a tall task running in a race like the Travers off a four-month layoff,” Casse said. “But if any horse can do it, I know he can.”