HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The champion Nitrogen put an exclamation point on the unforgettable weekend trainer Mark Casse had at Oaklawn Park when she won the Grade 3, $250,000 Bayakoa on Saturday. The victory follows Casse winning both the Grade 3, $1 million Southwest Stakes with Silent Tactic and the $300,000 Martha Washington with Search Party on Friday. Overall, he won four races on the Southwest card, and Nitrogen was one of two winners he had Saturday. The estimated ontrack attendance was 27,500.  “When you have a horse like Nitrogen – you know how much I love horse racing and how much it has been my life - I like showing her off to everybody,” Casse said. “I’m glad Oaklawn and the Arkansas people got to see her today.” Nitrogen won six stakes last year – led by the Grade 1 Alabama – to earn the Eclipse Award for outstanding 3-year-old filly of 2025. Bred and owned by DJ Stable, she was launching her 4-year-old season in the Bayakoa. It was Nitrogen’s first start since running second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 1 and, while she had turned in some strong works for her return, her training for the race was interrupted for more than a week by Winter Storm Fern. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Casse said the manner in which she worked, coupled with her class, led to the decision to run Nitrogen in the Bayakoa. “I thought her race was tremendous,” he said. “I’m very happy because we’ve had such a great weekend. I think if she had gotten beat, I would have been pretty hard on myself. When you have one as good as her, you don’t want to let her down.”   Nitrogen ($2.60) broke with the field in the Bayakoa and settled into a stalking position, racing in third as Rose Palace cut out fractions of 24.02 seconds for the opening quarter and 48.33 for the half-mile. Nitrogen traveled three wide on the turn, moving in on the leader and Nerazurri, who took over through six furlongs in 1:12.86. Nitrogen pushed past a stubborn Nerazurri in the stretch, then darted clear through the final sixteenth of a mile. She won on a fast track, while covering the 1 1/16 miles for fillies and mares in 1:43.53. “She’s brilliant,” winning jockey Jose Ortiz told publicity at Oaklawn. “What more can you say about Casse and his team, bringing her back ready. They’re having a great meet here. It’s great to have won for him today. “Being her first race back, I rode her carefully, but I rode her like the best horse. I put her three wide and let her do her thing. Just kind of waited for the right moment to ask her to go and when I did she was there for me. Passing the three-sixteenths [pole], she switched leads and I asked her a little bit and she gave me some. I hit her one time left-handed. She drifted out a little. I hit her right-handed and when I did, she switched to her left lead, so I decided to leave her alone and she kept grinding it out nicely. I liked the way she finished. Very happy with her performance.” Nitrogen won by 2 3/4 lengths over stablemate Nerazurri. It was another 6 1/4 lengths back in third to Quietside. Casse said the intended schedule for Nitrogen is the filly and mare series at Oaklawn, which continues with the Grade 2, $400,000 Azeri on March 7, and the Grade 1, $1.2 million Apple Blossom Handicap on April 11. It was recently announced the Apple Blossom is now a ‘Win and You’re In’ race for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.   Nitrogen has now won 7 of 13 starts. The first-place check of $146,250 on Saturday pushed her career earnings mark to $2,192,654. She is a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro. *** Casse had another 4-year-old of note return to the races after a layoff Saturday in Sandman, the winner of last year’s Arkansas Derby. He finished fifth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in a conditioned allowance route that served as his first out since August. Sandman stalked from the rail early in the 1 1/16-mile race, had to wait behind horses coming into the stretch, and ran on through the wire in a productive comeback race for the horse whose training also was impacted by Winter Storm Fern. “I think he’ll improve from there,” Casse said several hours after the start Saturday. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.