John Oxley’s Classic Empire made a bold late bid to come home a 3/4-length winner in Saturday night’s Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes, one of the first juvenile stakes of the season. The 2-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile blazed through six furlongs in 1:09.39 over Churchill Downs’ fast main track, ridden by Julien Leparoux for trainer Mark Casse.
“The pace set up for him and he was able to run down a very talented horse today,” said Norman Casse, son and assistant trainer for his father Mark, who would win his first Churchill Downs training title since the 1988 Spring Meet. “I really have a whole lot of respect for the horse that he beat and this is something we can all look forward to.”
Recruiting Ready, off as the 1-2 favorite, jumped out of the gate very quickly and immediately had a one-length lead over the field nine-horse field. Tip Tap Tapizar rushed up to join Recruiting Ready on the lead through a quarter-mile in :21.76, then backed off again as the leader set a half-mile fraction of :45.07. Classic Empire broke slowly, but was able to tuck in behind the frontrunners in about second-to-last position. Leparoux never panicked, angling his colt wide to allow him to get around the rear of the field.
Rounding the turn for home, Recruiting Ready repelled the second bid of Tip Tap Tapizar, but Classic Empire had dropped to the rail to cut the corner, and was making up a lot of ground from what was now third position. With a sixteenth a mile to run, Leparoux nudged his charge to the outside and rode him on past Recruiting Ready, crossing the wire approximately three-quarters of a length in front. Recruiting Ready had to settle for second, while Tip Tap Tapizar held on to third over Boys From Boston.
“At the quarter pole I knew he was going to run well, but I didn’t know if I was going to catch him or not,” said Leparoux. “Being in the one-hole kind of hurt us today, but I’m glad that he could win today. The first time when he won at four-and-a-half (furlongs), he was almost too quick and he still won, but today at six furlongs I liked it. He was useful but we were down inside and he’s still a baby so when he broke slow he was kind of looking at all of the horses outside of him so he was a little green but after that he was very professional.”
Bred in Kentucky by Steven and Brandi Nicholson, Classic Empire was a $475,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. The Bashford Manor is just the colt’s second start, following a strong maiden performance at Churchill back in May. The win brings Classic Empire’s career earnings up to just over $85,000.
Courtesy of the Paulick Report
