Casse reroutes Nitrogen to Belmont; possible for Jockey Club Gold Cup

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − Nitrogen, runner-up to Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on Aug. 8, will not run in the Grade 2, $400,000 Locust Grove Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 13 and instead will ship to Belmont Park with one of the options for her next start being the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 18, trainer Mark Casse said Saturday.

Casse was planning on shipping Nitrogen from Saratoga to Churchill on Saturday, but Casse said “it’s just too hot,” he said. “I don’t want to ship her.”

The high on Saturday in Louisville was 96 degrees. Temperatures were expected to be in the 90s early in the week and the low-to-mid 80s later next week.

Casse said there are three options for Nitrogen’s next start. One is the Jockey Club Gold Cup, which was expected to include a showdown between champions Sovereignty and Forever Young. However, Sovereignty’s status for the race became in doubt when trainer Bill Mott on Friday said the horse would have to miss a workout this weekend due to an abscess on his left hind foot.

“We’ll see what’s happening with Sovereignty,” Casse said.

Another option is the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame at Belmont on Sept. 25. Lastly, there is the Grade 1, $650,000 Spinster at Keeneland on Oct. 4.

Nitrogen is 2 for 5 this year with victories in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps and the Grade 3 Bayakoa.

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