$250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3)

As expected, Nitrogen made it look easy.

A champion at 2 and 3, Nitrogen launched her 4-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 2-year-old filly and an Eclipse Award as North America’s champion 3-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. The track was fast.

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 $400,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) March 7 and the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 11. Both 1 1/16-mile races are at Oaklawn.

Saturday’s estimated attendance was 27,500, with total mutuel handle $11,034,480.50. Racing resumes Sunday. First post is noon (Central).

Bayakoa Quotes

Winning Jockey Jose Ortiz (Nitrogen): “She’s brilliant. 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 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 (leg), so I decided to leave her alone and she kept grinding it out nicely. I liked the way she finished. Very happy with her performance.”

Winning & Second-Place Trainer Mark Casse (Nitrogen/Nerazurri): “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.”

Second-Place Jockey Cristian Torres (Nerazurri): “She was trying. But Nitrogen, she’s a Grade 1 winner, dirt, turf, second in the Breeders’ Cup. She’s an unbelievable filly. I’m really proud of my filly, too. She’s been stepping up little by little. She’s showing up every time she goes out there, so I’m really proud of her.”