Easy Time tries to sweeten Casse's big day in Hall of Fame Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Mark Casse will attempt to put an exclamation point on a memorable day when he sends out Easy Time against six rivals in Friday’s $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga. The Hall of Fame, for 3-year-olds going a mile on turf, is one of three stakes on the card, to be followed by the Alydar for older horses on the main track and the Grade 3 Troy at 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass.

About six hours before the race, Casse will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, a ceremony postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. And Casse admitted that winning the Grade 2 event with the up-and-coming Easy Time would be icing on the cake.

“Obviously, it would be nice if we could cap off the day by winning this race,” said Casse, who has Tyler Gaffalione to ride Easy Time.

Owned by Breeze Easy LLC, Easy Time finished second, beaten a neck despite some trouble, in his only start on grass, an allowance race this past winter at Gulfstream Park. He was given time off after that outing, and returned in five months with a very impressive two-length victory in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes run over the artificial surface at Woodbine, earning a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I thought he ran really well in his only previous turf race, but he just wasn’t himself afterwards, so I suggested to the Breeze Easy people that we bring him back home to the training center and give him a little break,” Casse said. “He’s really responded well to the time off. I kind of had this race pegged for him all along and wanted to run him first in a couple of races that didn’t go in Canada. The Marine wasn’t our first option, but I was confident going into that race, even over the Tapeta, and he really ran well.”

Casse said it sometimes can be tricky comparing a race run over synthetic surface to the grass.

“Horses that handle the Tapeta usually handle turf,” Casse said. “Not all do, though, and if he hadn’t run such a positive race the first time on grass I might be a little more concerned. I also feel he is a lot better horse today than he was when he ran at Gulfstream. This isn’t an easy lot and there is plenty of speed inside of him, but he’s a happy horse right now and I think if Tyler can get him to relax and sit him right off the pace, he should run very well.”

Wolfie’s Dynaghost makes his turf debut in the Hall of Fame for trainer Tom Albertrani. He has some big shoes to fill, being a half-brother to the multi-millionaire turf specialist Sadler’s Joy.

Wolfie’s Dynaghost has won two of three starts, both victories coming over tracks that had some moisture in them. He sandwiched those victories around a last-place effort in the Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont to launch his 3-year-old season. Irad Ortiz Jr. has a return call on Wolfie’s Dynaghost.

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“After his maiden win, he had a minor setback, so we gave him time off and I’m not sure if it was the surface or he just wasn’t fit enough to go the distance when he came back for the Peter Pan,” said Albertrani. “My thought has always been that he’s intended to be a grass horse and we tried to get him on turf for his one-other-than condition, which came off the turf, although he ran a very good race over the sloppy track. We worked him on the grass for the first time earlier this week, with Irad aboard, and he was really striding out well over it. If he is anything like his brother, we’re optimistic he’ll run well.”

The Hall of Fame reunites Original and Public Sector, the first- and second-place finishers from the one-mile Manila July 4 on the turf at Belmont. The late-running Public Sector might have the advantage over the speedy Original in the rematch due to the strong pace scenario likely to unfold in the Hall of Fame. Original is likely to be entertained from the outset by Next, wire-to-wire winner of the one-mile War Chant earlier this summer at Churchill Downs.

The remainder of the well-matched lineup of 3-year-olds comprises Annex, an even fifth in the Manila; recent runaway maiden winner Ranger Fox; and the improving In Effect.