SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – La Cara, the 2-1 second choice on the morning line, was forced to scratch from Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga when the barn she was stabled in there was placed under quarantine due to a suspected case of strangles in another horse housed in that barn.
Casse was also forced to scratch the 2-year-old Our Magical Moon out of a Saturday maiden race because he too was stabled in that barn. Casse has seven horses and trainer Mike Maker has eight horses stabled in that barn, according to the New York Racing Association. Casse and Maker have full barns on the grounds as well that are not impacted by the temporary quarantine.
The Casse-trained Get Smokin, scheduled to run in Saturday’s United Nations at Monmouth Park, was stabled in that barn and scratched.
The Maker-trained 4-year-old filly Surprenant Cocca presented symptoms of strangles early Saturday and has been transported offsite for additional testing. Strangles is a contagious bacterial infection that generally affects a horse’s respiratory system and causes symptoms similar to those of strep throat in humans. This is fourth time this year that a NYRA barn has been impacted by strangles.
La Cara was seeking her third Grade 1 win of the year having won the Ashland and Acorn.
Casse, sitting outside his barn Saturday morning, took the scratch of La Cara in stride.
“I’ve seen so much happen over so many years, I take it as it just was meant to be,” Casse said. “It could have been worse, she could have run and something could have happened to her.”
During the quarantine period, which as Saturday morning was not defined, horses stabled in barn 28 were not permitted to train with the general public and will not be permitted to enter races.
La Cara was one of two fillies scratched from the CCA Oaks as Sweet Seraphine, winner of the Wilton Stakes, was scratched a day earlier due to an infection, according to her trainer Cherie DeVaux.
That leaves a field of four where Immersive, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2024, will be a strong favorite.
Immersive was sidelined earlier in the year due to bone bruising and didn’t make her first start until June 14 when she was beaten a neck by Take Charge Milady, who is also in the CCA Oaks.
Brad Cox, trainer of Immersive, said he knew his filly wasn’t completely fit going into the Monomoy Girl and was hopeful she would get enough out of that race to move back into Grade 1 company. Immersive began her career here at 2, winning a maiden race and the Grade 1 Spinaway around one turn before prevailing in the Alcibiades and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
“I felt she was training really well leading up to the Monomoy Girl. I did like her. I just felt like I was a couple of works from being right where we needed to be,” said Cox, who trains Immersive for Godolphin. “But that falls back to getting the race underneath her and then, obviously, we’re set up for a Grade 1. Listen, we’re going to find out a lot Saturday if she’s ready to take that step from 2 to 3. I know she’s a bigger, stronger version of herself as opposed to last year.”
Manny Franco rides Immersive from the rail.
Scottish Lassie won a weak renewal of the Grade 1 Frizette last October, but she did so by nine lengths. Scottish Lassie ended her 2-year-old campaign with a fourth-place finish behind Immersive in the Breeders’ Cup.
In two starts this year, Scottish Lassie finished third in an allowance race in which she dueled for the lead and then finished third, 3 1/4 lengths behind La Cara and Look Forward, in the Acorn.
“It looks like she needed the race last time, she ran a good third,” trainer Jorge Abreu said. “Not that we were going to beat the winner, but I think we got compromised for second by being in the one hole and the [sloppy] track. She came out of the race in really good shape. She’s doing everything right.”
Joel Rosario rides Scottish Lassie for the first time.
Take Charge Milady, trained by Kenny McPeek, was second to La Cara in the Ashland before finishing 12th of 13 in the Kentucky Oaks. She then came back to upset Immersive in the Monomoy Girl. Kendrick Carmouche rides Take Charge Milady.
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