It’s now a Mark Casse trifecta.
Casse, the dual Hall of Fame trainer, recorded his third consecutive victory in a Kentucky Derby qualifying race at Oaklawn when John Oxley’s SILENT TACTIC (Tacitus) roared late to capture Friday’s $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3).
Ridden by Cristian Torres, Silent Tactic finished 3 ¼ lengths ahead of Solider N Diplomat in the 1 1/16-mile race run before an estimated on-track crowd of 24,000. Buetane, in his first start around two turns, finished a head farther back in third, denying Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his record-extending seventh Southwest victory. It was another nose back to Rancho Santa Fe in fourth.
Silent Tactic marked the fourth victory on the card for Casse, who also won the $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes for three-year-old fillies with Search Party. On Saturday, sent out D.J. Stables’ NINTROGEN to win her four-year-old debut in the Bayakoa Stakes (see below).
Casse won Oaklawn’s fourth and final Kentucky Derby qualifying race last season – the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) – with Sandman and ran 1-2 in its first of 2026 with Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic, respectively, in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes.
The 1 1/16-Smarty Jones was Silent Tactic’s first start on dirt and he closed from behind a very slow pace to finish 4 ½ lengths behind the Oxley-owned Strategic Risk, who raced just off the pace.
In the Southwest, there was a lot more early speed. D’code, antsy early, was making his stakes and two-turn debut after a dazzling six-furlong debut victory Dec. 14 at Oaklawn. He took the field through splits of :23.52 for the opening quarter-mile, :47.52 for a half-mile and 1:12.81 for six furlongs before tiring in the stretch. Silent Tactic, who runs with a low-to-the-ground style, was 11th after a half-mile before circling the field and passing nine horses in the final three-sixteenths of a mile to win going away. The winning time over a fast track was 1:44.85. Silent Tactic was awarded a career best 88 Beyer Speed Figure by Daily Racing Form.
Completing the order of finish were Circle Tap, Liberty National, Sleepingonfreedom, 2-1 favorite D’code, Spirit of Royal, Strategic Risk, Baytown Dreamer and Reclamation, who was eased. Litmus Test, the 5-2 program favorite, and Bricklin were scratched, reducing the starting field to 12.
“The last race, the Smarty Jones, it was his first start ever on the dirt and only had one easy breeze. It’s interesting. When I talked to (owner) Mr. (John) Oxley last week, he said: ‘What do you think?’ I said: ‘Honestly, I think Silent Tactic is training better than Strategic Risk. So, we’ll see.’ We’re watching the race and I could see Strategic Risk was struggling, so then I started looking for Silent Tactic and I could see he was coming. He came strong.”
Silent Tactic collected 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points in the Southwest, delayed six days because of winter weather, and has 25 overall.
Silent Tactic, a son of Tacitus, raised his career earnings to $594,422 following his second victory from four starts.
Purchased for $500,000 at the 2025 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in training, Silent Tactic made his first two career starts over a synthetic surface at Woodbine in Canada, where he ran second in the Grey Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 2.
PEDIGREE NOTES:
Silent Tactic’s sire TACITUS (Tapit) was a top colt in 2019 and 2020, winning the Tampa Bay Derby and Wood Memorial Stakes, both Grade 2s, and he was second in the Belmont (G1) and third in the Kentucky Derby. He also won the Grade 2 Suburban Stakes. His first crop of foals are three-year-olds of 2026.
Silent Tactic was a $60,000 yearling purchase at Fasig Tipton October by Thorostock. Incredibly, the colt sold to Oxley for $500,000 at the April Ocala Two-year-old in Training Sale in 2025. Eight others by the sire at that sale sold for $10,000 up to $100,000.
Silent Tactic’s dam is MAGICAL SIGN, a Gun Runner mare who was unplaced in one start. Her dam, Malvinia, by A.P. Indy produced five winners including Grade 2 placed Moraz. Third dam MACOUMBA won the Group 1 Prix des Pouliches in France. Silent Tactic was bred by Don Alberta Company. The Southwest Stakes winner’s two-year-old by Mitole was bought for just $22,000 last year.
Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby qualifying series continues with the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles March 1 and $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles March 28.
Nitrogen powers to victory in return
As expected, Nitrogen made it look easy.
A champion at two and three, Nitrogen (Medaglia d’Oro) launched her four-year-old campaign with a victory over stablemate Nerazurri in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn.
Nitrogen, under confident handling from regular rider Jose Ortiz, finished 2 ¾ lengths ahead Nerazurri in what was a match race for the final three furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile Bayakoa. Quietside, a multiple Oaklawn stakes winner, finished another 6 ¼ lengths farther back in third. Completing the order of finish were In Just My Heels, Miss Authentic and Rose Palace, the early leader. Peignoir was scratched, reducing the starting field to six.
Nitrogen, the 1-5 favorite, paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10. Nerazurri paid $2.80 and $2.20. Quietside paid $2.20 to show.
The Bayakoa was the seventh stakes victory of the 2025-2026 Oaklawn meeting for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.
A homebred for D J Stable (Jon and Leonard Green), Nitrogen won a Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion two-year-old filly and an Eclipse Award as North America’s champion three-year-old filly of 2025. She was making her first start since a runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at 1 1/8 miles Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Nitrogen broke sharply from post 6 in the Bayakoa and stalked Rose Palace and Nerazurri on the outside through a :48.33 half-mile. Approaching the three-eighths pole, Nerazurri and Nitrogen inhaled a tiring Rose Palace and turned for home as a team.
Nitrogen stuck a head in front on the outside passing the eighth pole and pulled away late, stopping the clock in 1:43.53. She earned her best career Beyer Speed Figure of 97.
“She’s brilliant,” said Ortiz. “What more can you say about [Mark] Casse and his team, bringing her back ready. They’re having a great meet here. It’s great to have won for him today. She, obviously, kept form. She wasn’t off that long. She ran in November and was breezing in December. Now, it’s February. I guess she got like a 30-day break. But Casse’s in the Hall of Fame for a reason. Today, she broke clean. That’s what I wanted.
“I saw the two horses [Rose Palace and Nerazurri under Cristian Torres] going at it on the first turn and Cristian took back and sat second. I didn’t want to put any pressure on him early. I knew we were going a decent pace. Being her first race back, I rode her carefully, but I rode her like the best horse. I put her three-wide and let her do her thing. Just kind of waited for the right moment to ask her to go and when I did she was there for me. Passing the three-sixteenths [pole] she switched leads and I asked her a little bit and she gave me some. I hit her one time left-handed. She drifted out a little. I hit her right-handed and when I did, she switched to her left lead, so I decided to leave her alone and she kept grinding it out nicely. I liked the way she finished.”
Casse was pleased with the comeback outing for Nitrogen.
“She amazes me. She makes me look good. They say she truly breathes different air. It amazes me. I was really nervous today because here I have this champion and if I let her down, it would have been hard for me. So, it was tough because we’d had the winter (the track was closed nine days, Jan. 24-Feb. 1, following a winter storm). When I came here, I said if everything goes right we’ll run in the Bayakoa. Well, nothing really went right and we still ran in the Bayakoa. What can I say? Cristian Torres said maybe we should buy a house here. It’s hard. They’re both our kids, right? The other filly ran hard, too. She’s a good horse as well. But there’s only one Nitrogen.”
Nitrogen, by Medaglia d’Oro, raised her career earnings to $2,192,854 after winning for the seventh time in 13 starts. Nitrogen is a seven-time stakes winner, breaking her maiden in the Ginger Brew in January 2025 at Gulfstream Park. Nitrogen also won the prestigious Alabama Stakes (G1) last August at Saratoga.
Casse was using the Bayakoa as Nitrogen’s bridge to the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 11.
Nitrogen, the Eclipse Award-winning three-year-old filly of 2025, won her four-year-old debut on Saturday at Oaklawn Park. (Oaklawn photo)
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