BREEDERS' CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 31, 2026

Mark Casse

John Green

Nitrogen

Keeneland Race Course

Distaff

Press Conference

Nitrogen

THE MODERATOR: I have trainer Mark Casse of Nitrogen, just won the Breeder's Cup Distaff. Mark, I was just watching the interview. Very emotional with this filly. She's been such a stable star for you all and finally getting her Breeder's Cup win today.

Take us through the preparation for this and what she's meant to the stable.

MARK CASSE: She's just been unbelievable. This summer in the Whitney to run so good against colts was amazing. And we were looking at -- we flirted with maybe the Classic, but when the Greens told me she's going to run another year as long as she's happy and healthy, I said, well, she needs the Breeder's Cup win. Maybe that's why I was emotional.

We've had an unbelievable year, but if she'd gotten beat, I don't know if it would have been as good a year. That definitely -- I wanted it for her. We've won a few Breeder's Cups, but she hasn't, and she deserves it.

THE MODERATOR: You mentioned the Whitney, such a big race. In defeat that day to Sovereignty. The possibility maybe next year running in the Classic at Belmont, kind of what's the thought process on that?

MARK CASSE: That's kind of -- I did a similar thing with Tappan. Tappan did so well as a 4-year-old and looked and said what can we do? We didn't really want to go down the same path. We're going to look at maybe going against colts.

See, she doesn't -- she's ran well all year long. She doesn't rest well. Last year I took her home, and we were supposed to give her about a month. After two weeks I called John, and I said, she's going to kill herself.

We'll see, see how she comes back. We may look at the Pegasus. We're going to take a different path for sure this year coming up.

THE MODERATOR: Just kind of going back to the race today, again, a little slow out of the gate and didn't find herself maybe in the same position she's used to being in in a race.

MARK CASSE: She didn't break running like she has in the last few races, which was a little concerning for me. I thought over on the turn, I was like, I wish she was a little closer. It reminded me a little bit of her turf races. Sometimes when we run around the turf, it would take her a little bit, and then she would kick. I thought it took her a little bit to get going today.

Q. I was just going to ask you about Measure. You finished third too. We'll get that out of the way and get back to Nitrogen, okay?

MARK CASSE: It's funny. As soon as the race was over, I said to Aron Wellman, did Measure run third? He goes, yeah. She's amazing in herself. I'm excited about her 4-year-old campaign.

I think we put away early the filly that should be champion 3-year-old, and that's Counting Stars. So if we can keep everybody happy and healthy, I don't know how we beat 2026, but we're going to give it a try.

Q. Talk about maybe the Whitney, taking something out of her and having to work back into this race. Talk about getting from that really high profile spot to this spot here.

MARK CASSE: So I was worried 100 percent. She had run so hard in the Whitney, crazy fractions, 1:09 and change. She put away Magnitude and a few others. I just thought it maybe drained her.

I kept going in my mind. I wanted the next race not to be too, too tough for her. We were going to bring her to Churchill, and my wife and I, Tina, were driving -- she was supposed to get on the van. It was so hot. I said, I'm not doing this to her. So we left her up.

Then we won the race at Belmont, which was nice. I thought it was a good effort. It was never an effort -- I wasn't expecting her best. Her best was supposed to be today. I don't know if it was -- I mean, it was impressive, but she's sure something.

Q. (Regarding Classic/Belmont.) She's had such a great race over the surface.

MARK CASSE: She's had pretty good races everywhere. I don't know. I just think it's more that we want to give her new challenges.

I'll say this, and I've said it many times, the Greens are true sportsmen. They love the horse business and racing as much as I do. They want to give back to the sport, and Nitrogen has a pretty good following. I think -- I was amazed when she ran in the Whitney. I think she was rated ninth in North America, and after the Whitney she was second.

We're just going to -- you know, we won the Breeder's Cup. Now we've got to get her into the Hall of Fame. That's the next deal.

THE MODERATOR: She should be well on her way there. John Green, D.J. Stables now joining us. John, I know it's so special, not only winning the Breeder's Cup with her as the owner, you all bred Nitrogen as well. Just tell us about her and the breeding and just the family history behind this.

JOHN GREEN: We always knew we wanted to get a Medaglia filly. Since we've been in the business, that's one of the best, if not the best brood mare sires.

And so when we bought Tiffany Case, we thought that she was the kind of mare that deserved to be bred to a Medaglia. It was almost exactly four years ago to the day that this guy here won with Wonder Wheel.

The story is after that Wonder Wheel won, we said to him, do you want a bonus or do you want to pick out one of our two dozen yearlings to campaign and raise?

To his credit, he said, no, I want to go out and see what you have. He didn't say no for the cash, but he said, I want to go out and see what you have.

He went out there, and he called me about 10 minutes into it, and I said, did you get lost? Did you not make it to the farm? He said, no, no, I saw the one I want to keep. I said, okay, who is it? I said, okay, who is it? He said,, it's the Medaglia filly. She breathes different air.

At that moment,

At that moment I went ahead and went on the Jockey Club website and looked to see what elements were lighter than oxygen, and Nitrogen was available. So she's been Nitrogen since she was even registered as a foal.

But that's how much confidence this guy had in not only himself and his team, but also in that filly.

THE MODERATOR: What a great story.

MARK CASSE: I remember seeing her, but my one concern was when we got her to So Cal, we break everything. It was maybe April or so, and I'm like, maybe I was wrong, because she was training good, but we had two or three other fillies that I thought were better.

I really knew -- somebody asked me when we had a good horse was when she ran in the Breeder's Cup as a 2-year-old. She really impressed me. From that point on -- and I have to say, if it wasn't for the man to my right, she wouldn't be here today because it was a big call to go from the grass.

Here I'm training the best filly in the country on the turf. I could hear Andy Serling just giving me the time.

JOHN GREEN: And he wasn't the only one.

MARK CASSE: And John -- because we went back and forth.

JOHN GREEN: Back and forth a few times.

MARK CASSE: John said, it's in your -- you decide. You decide. We went back and forth and back and forth. He said, look, you tell everybody it was our fault, and I said, well, I'm not going to do that.

One thing -- and I think we've talked about it before -- we video all our horses working. I went back. I think she worked on the dirt on December 19th, and I went back and watched that work. She worked with -- who did she work with? The horse we just -- good turf horse.

JOHN GREEN: Classic Q? You have so many Grade I winners, it's hard to remember.

MARK CASSE: I watched the work, and I thought, okay, we're going to run.

THE MODERATOR: It's worked out very well. Congratulations to both of you, to Nitrogen on such a well deserved win. I know everybody's excited to have her coming back next year to race.

JOHN GREEN: Yeah, we feel like it's the right thing to do for the industry, it's the right thing to do for the horse, it's the right thing to do for ^ thing to do for Mark and his team.

MARK CASSE: No pressure.

JOHN GREEN: A little pressure. That's right, she's out of conditions now. You've really got to step her up.

We want to continue to watch her run. Every time she races, it's just a gift.

MARK CASSE: I think it keeps your dad younger.

JOHN GREEN: Keeps my dad involved and focused, and it's a piece of mom because she was involved in doing the mating analysis of this. It's a good reminder.

Mark, you got her successful on the turf, on the mud, on the dirt. Could you make it so she doesn't meander down the stretch this year? Could that be the goal for 2027?

MARK CASSE: I'm going to let her meander as much as she wants. Don't worry about that.

THE MODERATOR: We're going to let you all go celebrate as breeders and owners of this filly. Congratulations.