Casa Creed is not as hot as the controversy in June 11 Jaipur Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park as he did in his 2021 race victory, but he doesn’t need it repeated.
Saving land in the first leg under Luis Saez and cutting corners into the stretch of the long six-court race, he could return to the front runners Catch me red and True Valor for half the point length. He becomes only the second horse in Jaipur’s 39-year history to repeat in the footsteps of Belmont Park lover Disco’s Partner in 2017-18.
Casa Creed ran six Saturday runs in 1:07.44 on solid grass, faster than his 1:08.04 clock last year on “good” ground.
Hall of Fame coach Bill Mott said: “It’s great to have consecutive wins in Jaipur with him. “He’s a neat horse. He’s a real fighter who has gotten better with age.
“We finally know what he wants to do. He wants to run in Jaipur every year.”
Jaipur has served as a Breeder’s Cup Challenge qualifier for this fall’s upcoming Breeders Cup (G1T) Sprint at Keeneland. That’s the race that Casa Creed skipped last year at Del Mar Support for FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Longer presented by PDJF (G1T), where he ran near eighth. Off-the-speed runners have only run between six and one mile since 2021.
Mott talks about his 6-year-old son Jimmy Creed .
His draw in post 4 and a spectacular trip from Saez proved to be the difference-makers in Jaipur, allowing him to sketch behind the leaders before he was knocked out. He changed the lead in the middle of the round and finished with a flourish from third during the final stretch.
“This horse is a pretty nice horse; it can really run,” says Saez. “He just had to have the right ride. We had a good ride today.”
Saez looked as though he could have tried to get Casa Creed inside to finish, but chose to move outside the lead duo of True Valor and Arrest Me Red as they headed deep into the lane.
“I had a bit of room on the tracks but it was difficult because my favorite (Arrest Me Red) was outside,” said Saez. “I just took the best route outside and he finished the job.”
Casa Creed paid $10.40 to win as second pick in field 13.
Casa Creed and Luis Saez get their standout moment after the Jaipur Stakes
True Valor sets the fractions as: 22.36 and: 44.94, down a few splits of last year as: 22.06 and: 44.65 in a wet process.
Coach Wesley Ward, on-site at Belmont before departing late Saturday for England to attend his show in preparation for Royal Ascot, was pleased with the performance of Arrest Me Red, the winner won against Twin Spiers Turf Sprint Stakes presented by Sysco (G2T) at Churchill Downs May 6.
Arrest Me Red inched past True Valor half the time for this location. After two apparent lengths of mare Change of control in fourth place.
Casa Creed improved to 6-4-4 in 26 games starting with a $400,000 Jaipur win, bringing his earnings to more than $1.4 million for Mike Francesa’s JEH Racing Stable and LRE Racing by Lee Einsider. The horse won for the first time since last year’s race, ending a streak of five races without loss. Twice this year he has raced in the Middle East, finishing second overall in the stc 1351 (G3T) Sprint Cup in Saudi Arabia and fifth in the Al Quoz do Azizi Developments Sprint. (G1T) sponsorship in Dubai.
Einsider said both Middle East races were top-notch and marveled at how Casa Creed has performed over the past four years following its juvenile debut.
“He loves being a racehorse, he loves to train, he loves running in the afternoon, and he’s a horse owner’s dream come true,” he notes.
Einsidler said another attempt at Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) could begin this summer when the race kicks off August 13 at Racecourse Saratoga. He ran third last year in the mile race after winning Jaipur.
“That would be our next logical step. Five and a half (long-haired) years in Saratoga is too short,” he said.
Bred in Kentucky by Silver Springs Stud, Casa Creed was one of three winners from starters produced from underrated Achalaya Bellamy Road mares. In addition to Casa Creed, she is also a level 3 winner Chess Dream (Jessie’s Dream ) of her stake winners.
The dam’s three unmarked ponies are a 2-year-old child Distorted humor colt, one Omaha . Beach child colt longing, and a Real born this year.
LRE Racing purchased Casa Creed for $105,000 from Kelli Mitchell consignment at the September 2017 Keeneland Sale.
Video: Jaipur S. (G1T)
