Casse planning one more local start for Martha Washington winner Search Party

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Search Party, who remained unbeaten at Oaklawn Park with her Friday win in the Grade 3, $300,000 Martha Washington, will likely make at least one more start at the meet, trainer Mark Casse said Saturday.

The Martha Washington was the first of Oaklawn’s three Kentucky Oaks points races. The series continues with the Grade 3, $750,000 Honeybee on March 1 and the Grade 2, $1 million Fantasy on March 27.

Search Party battled for a neck win in the Martha Washington to earn 20 Kentucky Oaks points for breeder and owner Tracy Farmer. The start came following a six-length maiden special weight win at the same 1 1/16-mile distance Dec. 27 at Oaklawn.

Search Party rode the rail in third early in the Martha Washington, had to wait behind horses coming to the quarter pole, then was angled out under jockey Cristian Torres. From there, the daughter of Gun Runner put in a determined stretch run. She covered the distance on a fast track in 1:45.56 and equaled her best career Beyer Speed Figure, an 81.

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“She gets herself a little bit behind the eight ball when she doesn’t break great and she did it again yesterday,” Casse said. “But Cristian did such a great job. He saved the ground. He sat there. At the quarter pole, I was like, ‘Just find somewhere to go,’ and he kind of bulled his way out. Probably cost her a little momentum there, and it took her a little while to get the job done, but that was nice. Very nice.”

Casse said plans are to be determined for Search Party.

“We’ll see,” he said Saturday. “She’s a little lighter-framed. We’ll think about the Honeybee, and could possibly wait until the Fantasy.”

Search Party through Friday ranked sixth on the Kentucky Oaks points list put out by Churchill Downs.

Casse had a second starter in the Martha Washington in Counting Stars. She was the 3-5 favorite after winning both an overnight stakes and the Year’s End Stakes at Oaklawn, but dropped out of Friday’s race on the final turn. Casse said she was no worse for the wear on Saturday.

“She’s ornery,” he said. “She’s bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. She did that to us at Keeneland – just trained good and threw a clunker. [Jockey Francisco] Arrieta said he was sitting fine and he asked her to go and she was just like, ‘No.’ He asked her to go again and she didn’t go anywhere and so he was a little concerned at that time - and I don’t blame him - and she backed out. But she’s fine. She scoped clean. She cooled out well. She looked great this morning.

“We often forget they’re not machines. They have moods.”

Casse said Saturday he was inclined to run Counting Stars back in the Honeybee.

“I don’t see why not,” he said. “If she trains well, we’ll go to the Honeybee.”

Counting Stars is 3 for 5 for West Point Thoroughbreds.

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