Impressive Maiden Winner Ewing Targets Saratoga Special

Explosive debut winner Ewing may point to a next start in the Aug. 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2), according to trainer Mark Casse. Owned by D. J. Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Kenneth Freirich, Ewing romped by 12 lengths in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight during the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course. "I originally thought maybe I'd wait for the Hopeful, but that is a couple months away and I like my horses to get an education by running. I have big hopes for him, maybe the Breeders' Cup, so I think it is important to get that education, and I'd say right now I will probably run him in the Saratoga Special," Casse said. The $300,000 Hopeful Stakes (G1), Saratoga's ultimate prize for juveniles, is Sept. 1. Ewing, a son of 2021 Horse of the Year and first-crop sire Knicks Go, was a $585,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. "You'll see me bring some New York-bred 2-year-olds here and occasionally a few maidens, but usually I try to get them started outside of Saratoga, but I brought Ewing here thinking he would be very hard to beat," Casse explained. "I don't know how much he beat, but he did win with authority." Dual Hall of Famer Casse is fast approaching 4,000 career wins in North America, sitting with 3,992 through July 10. "Less than 10 away, it would be nice to do it at Saratoga, but we have a lot of action going on," Casse said. "If there was an oddsmaker, the favorite (for win 4,000) might be Woodbine, but here would be nice. This is where I first started dreaming of being a trainer and little did I know 50 years ago that I could be closing in on 4,000." Through July 13, Casse has 24 horses entered at Woodbine, 12 at Saratoga, seven at Colonial Downs, and two each at Ellis Park and Gulfstream Park. La Cara, Sandman Updates Casse-trained La Cara, a last-out winner of the Acorn Stakes (G1), breezed a solo half-mile in :49 over the Saratoga main track Friday morning ahead of a start in the July 19 Coaching Club American Oaks Invitational (G1). "I thought she went perfectly. Last week (a half-mile in :46 July 5), she went a little quicker than we drew up, but today went perfect. Nice and easy, and she did it the right way," Casse said. "The instructions were to go slow," he added with a laugh. Casse also updated that grade 1 winner Sandman will likely work July 16, 10 days out from a targeted start in the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) July 26. "I usually work him 10 days out from a race," said Casse. "That (Wednesday) is what I landed on." The popular son of Tapit is campaigned by D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and CJ Stables. He last ran third in the Preakness Stakes (G1) May 17 at Pimlico Race Course. Sandman has been working in blinkers recently.