Norm Casse

RIVER WIND (f, 3, Lexitonian--Rachae Leigh, by Stormin Fever) entered this unveiling with a sharp worktab to her credit for trainer Norm Casse, and was supported by the betting public to the tune of 4-1 odds. Breaking well as Quick to Charm (Goldencents) was herded out, the daughter of Lexitonian stepped out to set the fractions and posted an opening quarter of :21.87 with a clear advantage on her rivals. Under a drive but well clear after a half-mile in :45.45, River Wind entered the lane three wide but still...

Irad Ortiz, Jr., a five-time Eclipse-champion jockey and this country's leading rider by races won in each of the last eight seasons, will relocate from New York to Kentucky for the fall season. He will join a riding colony that also includes his brother Jose Ortiz, who is also represented by agent Steve Rushing. "My agent and I have talked about this for a little while now," Ortiz Jr. said. "There's a lot of business in Kentucky and the racing is really strong." The veteran reinsman had four rides on...

Most racing fans know Gabby Gaudet from her job at FanDuel TV, where she was one of that network's top talent. It sounds like a dream job, but Gaudet has found one that she thinks will be even better. It was announced last week that Gaudet was named the new Director of Communications at Keeneland. She sat down recently with the TDN to discuss her new job and why she decided to trade in her microphone.    TDN:  The Keeneland job looks like a great job. It's a very prestigious...

What drives someone to leave everything behind to follow a dream? And what happens when the dream is within reach, but one last obstacle stands in the way? Tomislav Mitrovski was watching from home when Color Comin' In (Rock Your World), the first horse he ever bred, overcame a troubled start and stormed home to a three-length victory in her debut at Churchill Downs. Over the moon with the result, Mitrovski immediately called his wife to celebrate a win that felt like the start of something bigger. When Mitrovski packed...

Now a winner from six furlongs to 1 3/16 miles, Awesome Aaron continued his positive trend for trainer Norm Casse with an off-the-pace upset in the GIII Pimlico Special Stakes. After a career spent at nearly every level of racing, the 6-year-old gelded son of Practical Joke proved his 5 3/4-length roll in an allowance/optional claimer at Oaklawn last time out was no fluke (nor was the 104 Beyer Speed Figure that accompanied it). That win on Apple Blossom day Apr. 12, his first since getting claimed for $40,000 at...

Overcoming a troubled start and getting back in the game before the far turn, first timer Color Comin' In (Rock Your World--Sleepless Dixie, by Dixie Union) handed freshman sire Rock Your World (by Candy Ride {Arg}) an inaugural win on Thursday afternoon at Churchill Downs. The effort netted the filly a 'TDN Rising Star' badge. Off as a 7-1 shot here, Color Comin' In did not have the best beginning, but the Norm Casse trainee was able to resume the chase as short-priced favorite Shez Twisted (Twirling Candy) led up...

Captain Cook (c, 2, Practical Joke--Pow Wow Wow, by Indian Charlie), an eventful sixth on debut for owner/breeder Marylou Whitney Stables and trainer Norm Casse at Churchill Downs Oct. 27, brought $410,000 from bloodstock agent Steve Young on behalf of St Elias Stable at the Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale (second-most expensive lot of the sale) and ran to the money as the 1-2 favorite for his new connections with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance in the slop at the Big A Saturday. Captain Cook chased the early...

8th-Oaklawn, $115,000, Msw, 3-29, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.55, ft, 6 1/4 lengths. TWEETSTER (f, 3, Practical Joke--Tweeterdini, by Bernardini) debuted with Lasix as the heavily backed 3-2 choice here. The homebred started slowly, but with the rail open she was able to lead the second pack up the backstretch. Rolling around the turn, the filly chased longshot Hurricane Fire (Can the Man), who appeared to be getting away. Moving from the rail towards the center of the course at the eighth pole, Tweetster closed like a freight train and won...

His friend Spider Duignan knew that the stakes were high. When the horse coasted past the wire in the GII Saratoga Special, Duignan turned and said, "You needed that bad, didn't you?" Deuce Greathouse was candid in his reply. "It was not an option," he said, "for that not to happen." Raised the way he was, Greathouse knows that there are never any guarantees with horses. Since taking his cue that day, indeed, Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) has himself demonstrated as much by coming up with an ankle issue shortly before...

Rhyme Schemes (c, 3, Ghostzapper--Katherine, by Distorted Humor), sidelined since posting a jaw-dropping, 9 1/2-length victory for trainer Norm Casse in last summer's GII Saratoga Special S. Aug. 12, is being aimed at a late spring/early summer return to the races. The Pura Vida Investments LLC colorbearer is currently laid up with Gabriel "Spider" Duignan at Springhouse Farm in Kentucky and could resume light training in March. "He's doing great," Pura Vida's managing partner Deuce Greathouse said. "He wasn't going to make the Derby preps, so we decided to give...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. The TDN also posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These include decisions from around the country. California Track: Del Mar Date: 09/10/2023 Licensee: Antonio Fresu, jockey Penalty: One-day suspension Violation:...

Norm Casse trainee Burning Bright (Empire Maker) crashed through the temporary rail in Wednesday's race 7 at Saratoga, the 1 5/8-mile John's Call S. on the grass, with all early reports indicating the 6-year-old gelding, who collapsed and died, sustained a probable cardiac event. The Equibase chart stated Burning Bright "suffered a fatal cardiac event on the second turn and hit the rail then fell." Jockey Luis Saez was alert and conscious following the spill, but was strapped to a backboard by attending paramedics and sent by ambulance to Albany...