D. J. Stable's reigning Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Nitrogen turned in a solo half-mile in 49 and 3/5 on Saturday over the main track at the new Belmont Park, her first local move since heading south from Saratoga Race Course earlier this month.
Trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro stepped onto the track shortly after 8:30 and breezed solo under the watchful eye of assistant trainer Shane Tripp.
"I thought she went really good, and they said she broke off nice, I watched the work [on video] - she went easy in the middle, and then finished and galloped out good," Casse said. "We weren't looking for anything fancy. She got over it [well] and they said she had great energy when she got back to the barn, which is always what we are wanting."
Casse noted that Nitrogen is targeting the local nine-furlong Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame on September 25 for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up rather than the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup against males on September 18 as part of the first card of racing at the new and reimagined Belmont Park.
"We discussed all the different scenarios, and as much as the Jockey Club intrigues us, we started out the year with a goal, and that goal was to win the Breeders' Cup," Casse said. "We feel like our best path to that is the Beldame."
Nitrogen will enter the Beldame off a valiant second to reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 8 at Saratoga. She was a 12 3/4-length winner of the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford in June at the Spa as the highlight of the 5-2-2-1 campaign she has compiled so far this year.
Moments after Nitrogen breezed, her dual Grade 1-placed stablemate Measure turned in a solo four-furlong work 47 and 2/5 in preparation for the Grade 1 Cotillion on September 19 at Parx Racing.
"She worked really good this morning and she's going in the Cotillion," Casse said.
Measure was last seen finishing a neck second to My Gun's Loaded in the Grade 1 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales on August 22 at Saratoga.
She holds a 7-1-3-1 record with just shy of $300,000 in total purse earnings.
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