Casse brings hot hand to Rebel

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Mark Casse has had a hot hand with 3-year-olds this meet at Oaklawn Park, and he’ll attempt to add to his local stakes success Saturday with Our Braintrust in the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel.

Casse has won two-thirds of the local series for 3-year-old fillies this meet, courtesy of Power Gal, who captured the Martha Washington in February, and Chocolate Kisses, who won the Grade 3, $200,000 Honeybee here Saturday.

Our Braintrust was to arrive Tuesday for the Rebel, a 1 1/16mile race that serves as the final local prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby. He was a private purchase in January and in his first start for Gary Barber and Casse he ran third by a neck in the Grade 3 Withers on Feb. 2 at Aqueduct.

“We feel ultimately that his best races will be on the grass,” Casse said, “but right now he’s running pretty darn good on the dirt and we’ll continue doing that until he proves otherwise.”

Our Braintrust earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 95 in the Withers, which will rank as one of the best last-race numbers in the Rebel. The race could be spilt into a pair of $750,000 divisions if 20 or more horses are entered. Splitting the race became a possibility over the weekend after a number of runners from Southern California committed to the Rebel following the cancellation of the San Felipe at Santa Anita, among them champion Game Winner.

Casse said Monday a few options were debated for Our Braintrust before landing on the Rebel.

“His race in the Withers was exceedingly good,” Casse said, noting it was the two-turn debut for Our Braintrust. “He’s got some speed, and we just thought this would be a nice place to run him. I just thought, ‘We’ll go after the big money.’

“When we made the decision, we didn’t know half of California was coming!”

Casse, who has a division of horses at Oaklawn, said David Cohen has the mount in the Rebel.

In other Rebel developments, the California-bred Galilean put in his final work for the race Monday at Los Alamitos. He went a half-mile in 48.80 seconds. The winner of the $188,000 California Cup Derby on Feb. 18 at Santa Anita will be making his first start against open company in the Rebel.

Others expected from California include Extra Hope, Gunmetal Gray, Improbable, and Omaha Beach. Trainer Doug O’Neill said Friday he planned to send Parsimony for the Rebel, while Oaklawn officials expected the flight that was due here Wednesday to include Easy Shot.

Oaklawn-based horses pointing to the Rebel include Long Range Toddy, Jersey Agenda, Laughing Fox, and Market King, according to their trainers. The next-race plans for Comedian, who won a maiden route at Oaklawn with a Beyer Speed Figure of 79, were still being formulated as of Friday, according to a spokeswoman for majority owner Bloom Racing Stable.

Additional horses for the Rebel were expected on Tuesday from Florida, led by Our Braintrust.

Entries were to be taken Wednesday. The maximum gate is 14.

Chocolate Kisses to Ashland

Chocolate Kisses is headed for the Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland at Keeneland, trainer Mark Casse said Monday. The race will be run April 6.

Chocolate Kisses put up the best Beyer Speed Figure of her career, an 82, on Saturday, when the multiple turf winner won on dirt for the first time in the Grade 3, $200,000 Honeybee at Oaklawn. For the effort, she picked up 50 points for the Kentucky Oaks.

Chocolate Kisses rallied from next-to-last in the Honeybee, darting inside of rivals in the final sixteenth, and putting in a determined run to get up for a length win under Orlando Mojica.

“She was helped by the quick pace, but in her defense, she got hung out pretty wide turning for home,” Casse said. “She could have easily given it up. Orlando rode a terrific race on her, never gave up. I thought at the eighth pole we were going to be third, and that was okay, and then at the sixteenth pole, we got all excited and started jumping up and down. We thought we could get there.”

Chocolate Kisses races for Debby Oxley. Casse said the filly has returned to her base of Fair Grounds.

Plans for Power Gal, winner of the Martha Washington last month at Oaklawn who ran an uncharacteristic seventh in the Honeybee, are to be determined, but she could move to the grass, Casse said, perhaps running next at Woodbine.

Bye Bye J, who has second in the Grade 3 Forward Gal last month at Gulfstream Park, has come home. The daughter of Uncaptured who was bred Bet Oaklawn Park with DRF Bets: drfbets.com

in Arkansas goes in Thursday’s eighth race, an optional $25,000 claiming sprint for statebred fillies and mares. She will be making her first start for Arkansas residents Alex and JoAnn Lieblong after being purchased privately, trainer Ron Moquett said Monday.

“I tried to buy her after she broke her maiden,” Moquett said.

Bye Bye J was a debut winner last April at Gulfstream Park. She went on to win the $75,000 House Party at the track in December before finishing second by a half-length in the Forward Gal.

Bye Bye J will break from the rail in the six-furlong feature Thursday.

“I would rather have an outside post position,” Moquett said. “In Arkansas-bred races, everybody tends to ship. They all want the lead. We’re stuck in the one-hole, and I hope she gets a nice, comfortable trip.”

Ramon Vazquez has the mount on Bye Bye J.

Others set to start include Usual Suspect, winner of the $100,000 Downthedustyroad last month at Oaklawn.

◗ Souper Tapit, winner of the Sunshine Millions Classic, is being pointed to the New Orleans Handicap, Casse.

◗ Oaklawn plans to open its infield, weather permitting, on Saturday. The forecast calls for clear skies and temperatures in the 60s.