Casse looking for more patient trip from Ewing in Ozark

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will be looking for his seventh stakes win of the young Oaklawn Park meet Monday when he sends out the unbeaten Ewing in the $150,000 Ozark.

Casse has won six stakes, including two graded offerings, at the meet that opened Dec. 12. He’s also picked up two overnight stakes wins.

Ewing is part of a competitive field of nine for the Ozark, which is for 3-year-olds at six furlongs. The group includes stakes winners Dirty Rich and Oscar’s Hope.

Ewing is one of Casse’s top young prospects. On Monday, he will be making his first start since winning the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 2.

“When you have a horse that’s already won a stakes, a 2-year-old now 3, you have very few options,” Casse said. “We looked everywhere to maybe bring him back a little sooner. Obviously, I didn’t feel like he was ready for the Southwest [at two turns], so this is where he landed and, so, we’ll see. He’s trained well. I’m a little bit concerned with his ability to relax and so this probably makes more sense right now.”

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Ewing will break from post 8 under Cristian Torres.

“I like the post, and I’m going to ask Cristian to see if he’ll settle” Casse said. “We tried it in his last start in Saratoga, and he didn’t want to settle. He took off, and I’m sure he’s going to be fired up and ready, so that may not be simplest task for Cristian.”

Ewing is situated outside of his primary pace rivals. Dirty Rich will break from the rail, and he used his speed to wire his rivals in the Advent Stakes on opening day at Oaklawn. Tiz Mary’s Comet breaks to his immediate outside from post 2, and he disputed the pace before being edged last out in a conditioned allowance at Fair Grounds.

Ewing is a son of Knicks Go who races for D J Stable, Kenneth Freirich, and West Point Thoroughbreds.

“He loves his job,” Casse said. “He loves to train, but we need him to learn to shut off a little, and I’m not sure that’s in his vocabulary yet. We’ll see.”

A hot pace could set the table for a number of runners, led by Oscar’s Hope. He is cutting back from a pair of two-turn stakes starts, one of them a win in the Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs. Luis Saez has the mount from post 9 for trainer Tom Amoss.

Swung also could get a decent stalking trip. He was second in the Renaissance at Oaklawn in his last start Jan. 3. The winner of the race, Obliteration, was to have run back Saturday in the Saudi Derby.

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