Saratoga Special victor Rhyme Schemes will point to Hopeful next

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Rhyme Schemes, clearly the most exciting 2-year-old on the East Coast at this point of the season, came out of his one-sided and explosive victory in Saturday’s Saratoga Special in good order, trainer Norm Casse reported on Sunday morning, and will be pointed to the Grade 1 Hopeful here on September 4, closing day of the 2023 Saratoga meeting.

“He’s doing well, he ate up everything last night, and this morning it didn’t seem like he even ran yesterday,” Casse said after training hours on Sunday. “We like that.”

And well Casse should like everything he’s seen so far of Rhyme Schemes, who got bounced around a bit after the break before recovering to dominate the 6 1/2-furlong Saratoga Special in much the same manner he had in winning his maiden eight weeks ago at Ellis Park. He won both races by 9 1/2 lengths.

Rhyme Schemes, a son of Ghostzapper, received a 94 Beyer Speed Figure for his maiden win, which was the highest for any 2-year-old in 2023 until it was surpassed Sunday by Prince of Monaco’s 103 earned in the Best Pal at Del Mar. Rhyme Schemes regressed to an 86 for his effort in the Saratoga Special although, as Casse was quick to point out, he was being geared down during the latter stages of the race and likely could have gone even faster had the need arisen. It did not, with the outcome never in doubt at any point in the final furlong.

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“It’s hard to assign an accurate number to a horse who is being geared down like he was,” said Casse, who admitted he was a bit apprehensive going into the Special despite his star’s outstanding performance on graduation day.

“He showed early speed and drew off in his maiden win, but I was worried what effects it might have on the way he moved if he wound up chasing like he did yesterday,” Casse added. “In the end, it had none. And to be honest, I was kind of overwhelmed by his performance.”

Casse said barring any unforeseen setbacks, the seven-furlong Hopeful would be next for Rhyme Schemes with the pressure revved up a bit more and expectations even higher coming off his easy win in the Saratoga Special.

“The idea from the outset, after he broke his maiden, was to come here to run in the Special and Hopeful and nothing has changed our minds yet, although I don’t want to completely commit to it until I see him back on the track,” Casse said.

“If it plays out we don’t want to run in the Hopeful, I’ll probably wait for the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. The way this horse behaves and trains, it suggests to me he’s going to be an even better two-turn horse, although obviously it’s one of those things we’re going to have to see how it plays out. Right now I feel like wherever we show up next with him, the pressure is going to grow even more. It’s a huge opportunity for me and my team, but after his last two races, expectations are going to be very high.”

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