Flameaway keeping the heat off Casse

Last year at this time, trainer Mark Casse was in the eye of the storm with enigmatic 2-year-old champion Classic Empire, who attracted intense attention Kentucky Derby week before ultimately finishing fourth with a troubled trip.

This year, Casse has a consistent Derby entrant in Flameaway, a multiple graded stakes winner and the Blue Grass runner-up. But in a deep field, he’ll be dismissed at double-digit odds.

That’s just fine with Casse.

“At this time last year, it was intense,” Casse said. “This year, knock on wood, there’s still a little pressure there, but you come with a horse who just gives you everything, and you’re just happy to be here. This one, maybe, will be a little more enjoyable. Last year was a bit intense.”

Flameaway won a pair of off-the-turf stakes last year, including the Grade 3 Bourbon, before finishing eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. This year, he won the Kitten’s Joy on turf before moving back to dirt, winning the Sam F. Davis and finishing second in both the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass.

“When he was a 2-year-old, he was kind of a chubby teenager, and now he’s a sculptured man,” Casse said. “And with that’s come improvement in his performance. He’s headed the right way. For the Derby, you want to be trying to peak at the right time, and he is, so that’s all we can ask for.”