Team Nitrogen Still Plans To Take A ‘Shot’ On Dirt In Alabama originally appeared on Paulick Report.
Dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse still plans to give standout turf filly Nitrogen another shot on dirt in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News.
Though the 3-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro was defeated a nose by Fionn in the G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational on Saturday, Casse was pleased with her effort. The winner set a new course record, and Nitrogen was just nailed on the wire in the 1 1/8-mile contest.
“He [Jose Ortiz] said when he asked her, she responded but the other filly kind of had the momentum on her,” Casse told Saratoga publicity immediately after the race. “He felt like he had the horse on the lead all the time. I said going in whether we win, lose or whatever, we have to go to the Alabama, probably more so now. She ran well.”
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Casse confirmed his plan to the TDN on Sunday morning; the 1 1/4-mile Alabama (G1) on Aug. 19 is the target for Nitrogen.
The trainer first started considering the Alabama when Nitrogen romped by 17 lengths in the G3 Wonder Again; the race was taken off the turf and run over a sloppy main track. That effort, combined with the filly’s five-race win streak in 2025, pushed Casse toward a loftier goal.
“I still want her to have a shot to be champion 3-year-old filly,” Casse told TDN. “The only place to do that is the Alabama.”
A homebred for D.J. Stable, Nitrogen has yet to win a Grade 1, but she placed in both the G1 Natalma and G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last year. She was undefeated in 2025 until the Belmont Oaks, and has compiled a lifetime record of 5-2-2 from nine starts for earnings of over $1.2 million.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.