NITROGEN GOES ONE UP ON STABLEMATE VIXEN
WITH APPALACHIAN PRESENTED BY JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION VICTORY

Following Tuesday’s $500,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies, the D. J. Stable intramural scorecard reads Nitrogen 2, Vixen 1.

The Mark Casse trainees met for the third time Tuesday with Nitrogen prevailing by 2¼ lengths with Vixen finishing second.

“The D. J. people were very happy,” Casse assistant Caden Arthur said Wednesday morning. “The fillies are feeling good this morning.”

Vixen finished a half-length in front of Nitrogen when second in their first meeting in the Natalma (G1) last September at Woodbine. In the John Deere Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Del Mar, Nitrogen ran third and Vixen was sixth.

Nitrogen’s victory gave Casse his second stakes victory here in two days, following La Cara’s victory in Monday’s Central Bank Ashland (G1).

“La Cara goes to Churchill Downs today, and these two probably will go early next week,” Arthur said.

La Cara is headed for the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 2, and the $600,000 Edgewood (G2) Presented by Accenture on the same day is the target for Nitrogen.