Mark Casse Eyes Nerazurri for $1.25M Apple Blossom After Oaklawn Form

Hall of Famer Mark Casse revealed on March 6, 2026 that Nerazurri, a progressive 4-year-old filly who logged three wins and a runner-up during the 2025-2026 Oaklawn meeting, is under consideration for the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap, a Grade 1 at 1 1/16 miles scheduled at Oaklawn Park on April 11.

Casse said he briefly considered shipping Nerazurri to California for the Beholder Mile but instead kept the filly at Oaklawn and targeted the Trivista Overnight Stakes on Feb. 27. "I thought about it. Glad I didn't. I think what I'll do with her is leave her here. May even run her in the Apple Blossom. We'll see," Casse said, framing the decision as still pending ahead of the April 11 race.

Nerazurri is trained by Casse for owner Michael H. Eiserman of Highland Park, Ill., who privately purchased the filly after her runner-up finish to Arkansas-bred Haulin Ice in the Sept. 20 Princess Rooney Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Before shipping to Oaklawn, Nerazurri finished third in an Oct. 25 allowance at Keeneland and fourth in a Nov. 15 starter allowance at Churchill Downs. Casse recalled the early days with Eiserman's new purchase: "We had only had her a couple of weeks and we ran her in a really tough allowance race and she had a terrible trip," and he relayed Jose Ortiz's immediate reaction, "We're going to have a lot of fun with this one." Casse added, "And she's just gotten better and better."

Nerazurri's Oaklawn résumé is specific and compact: a starter allowance victory, a win in the inaugural Oaklawn Sports Overnight Stakes for $135,000, a runner-up finish behind stablemate and champion Nitrogen in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) on Feb. 7, and an odds-on victory in the $135,000 Trivista Overnight Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 27, which Paulick Report described as her cruising to a second stakes victory at the meeting. That sequence leaves her with three victories and one runner-up at the meeting and sets up the possibility of stepping up to the top level.

Critically, Nerazurri has never run in a Grade 1, so an Apple Blossom start would mark her first try at the highest level of racing. The Apple Blossom carries a $1.25 million purse and is restricted to older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles, making it potentially career-defining if Casse sends her to post. With the decision unresolved and the April 11 date approaching, Casse's final call will determine whether Oaklawn or a different path shapes Nerazurri's move into Grade 1 company.