Holy Bull the target for Classic Empire, but it's not set in stone

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Mark Casse still has the Grade 2 Holy Bull here on Feb. 4 circled for Classic Empire’s 3-year-old debut, although he said he’s not going to rush the colt to make the race.

Classic Empire withstood the late charge of Not This Time to register a neck victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for his fourth win in five starts. His only loss came in the Grade 1 Hopeful, where he wheeled and lost jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. at the break. Casse gave Classic Empire time off after returning from Santa Anita and said he’s been back galloping about two to three weeks.

“We’re maybe just a touch behind with him right now, but we’re still looking at the Holy Bull,” said Casse, who has Classic Empire stabled at Palm Meadows. “He’ll have his first breeze maybe this next weekend. He doesn’t take much to get ready. It’s not like we’ve got to make the Holy Bull. We have plenty of other options if we don’t. That’s still the first race we’re looking at if everything goes perfect. And it never does.”

Casse also plans to bring his Grade 1-winning filly Pretty City Dancer back Feb. 4 in the Grade 2 Forward Gal here. Pretty City Dancer closed out her 2-year-old campaign by finishing in a dead heat for first with Sweet Loretta in the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga. She suffered a setback shortly afterward, forcing her to miss the Breeders’ Cup. Pretty City Dancer has already had three works at Palm Meadows, including a 48.75-second half-mile on Saturday.

“She’s doing really well and is on target for the Forward Gal,” said Casse. “She was fine after the Spinaway, but when we breezed her a couple of weeks later, she just wasn’t right. We couldn’t really pinpoint anything, we just had some concerns and decided she was just too valuable to push forward at that time to make the Breeders’ Cup, so we just gave her the time.”

Casse said his other top 3-year-old filly prospect, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Valadorna, is training at Fair Grounds. He also said that Tepin is scheduled to have her first breeze of the winter “very soon” at Palm Meadows.