Unbeaten 3-year-old Ewing returns to action on Presidents Day as the 6-to-5 favorite for the $150,000 Ozark Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The dark bay colt will be racing for the first time since a game victory in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) at Saratoga on August 2.
Ewing also prevailed at Saratoga in his career debut on July 5 when he powered home in front by 12 lengths for trainer Mark Casse.
Casse and jockey Cristian Torres are leading their categories at Oaklawn this meet and they combined to win the Southwest Stakes (G3) and Martha Washington Stakes in the 3-year-old division last weekend. In the 6-furlong Ozark, Cristian will have options with the colt drawn toward the outside with post 8 of 9.
West Point races Ewing with D. J. Stables and Kenneth Freirich. He was acquired at the 2025 OBS April sale of two-year-olds in training.
Casse said this week: “He’s got to learn to relax. He’s a little bit of a fireball and if he doesn’t relax, he has no shot of running long. I’ve said it a million times, training horses is putting a puzzle together. So, you got to keep trying the pieces. We’re going to try a piece, see where it fits, and then go from there. It could be that maybe he’s a great sprinter and maybe we aim for the Pat Day Mile (G2) which is a super race on Derby day. We are a little bit behind the eight ball right now when you start talking about the Kentucky Derby to be honest, right?”
On the Kentucky Oaks front, West Point and Jose Ortiz will combine forces on Saturday with recent maiden winner Powered by Family in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds. She is listed 9-to-2 on the morning line.
Cherie DeVaux trains Powered by Family, a daughter of Quality Road out of the Grade 1-winning Empire Maker mare Icon Project. She is a homebred for St. Elias Stable and West Point.
Interestingly, Icon Project also accounts for Statesman, her 4-year-old colt by Constitution, who will be racing in allowance company on Sunday at Gulfstream Park for WPT and Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.
Statesman finished third with a 90 Beyer on January 16 at Gulfstream in his first start since finishing unplaced in the 2025 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct. John Velazquez will ride him again on Sunday.
Powered by Family:
