While the spotlight was rightly focused on Cherie DeVaux last week at Saratoga as she wrapped up two-thirds of the Triple Crown with Golden Tempo (Curlin) with the win in the GI Belmont Stakes, the week that Mark Casse had should not be overlooked. Casse won four stakes races, including three Grade I's. The stars were GI Ogden Phipps Stakes winner Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro), GI Just a Game Stakes winner Classic Q (Classic Empire) and GI Acorn winner Counting Stars (Honor A.P.).Casse was the Gainesway Guest of the Week on this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland.“I don't know that anything I've done ranks with this,” Casse said. “It was an amazing couple days.”In a word, Nitrogen was sensational as she overcame any doubts that may have arisen after she suffered back-to-back defeats in the GII Azeri Stakes and the GI Apple Blossom Handicap. Showing the same form that led her to an Eclipse Award as last year's 3-year-old filly champion, she won the Phipps by 12 3/4 lengths.“In the Azeri, she just could not handle the track,” Casse said. “I know she had handled the slop previously, but she didn't handle it. (Jockey) Jose (Ortiz), who knows her so well, came back and said he's never felt her so exhausted. And then in her next race, the Apple Blossom, she ran a good race. The other filly (Claret Beret) just freaked. I was just so happy with the way she was training. I told Jose on Wednesday, 'Wait till you see the big mare.' She was ready like I've never seen her before.”Casse also believes that sending her straight to the front was the right way to go.“I told Jose that when she wants to go, let her go,” he said. “If they want to beat her, then let them come after her. And if you watch about the last two minutes before the race, everybody was walking around there with their ponies except her. Jose was warming her up and he had her ready. Maybe we've been doing this all wrong. She has a tremendous turn of foot. If you watch when she ran in the Spinster, there were some fast horses. Even in the Breeders' Cup, they were rolling and you can see Jose just sitting there. I think maybe you just go with her. And if they want to try to run with her, fine. But it's not going to happen. And that's why she ran so fast.”Classic Q has proven to be an adept miler, so much so that Casse said he will try her against the boys next time out in the GI Fourstardave Stakes. Should she win there she may go in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile.“We're going to find out a lot about her because we're going to run her in the Fourstardave,” he said. “She's going to have to pick up her game. I've been very fortunate. I've won the Fourstardave a couple of times with fillies. I think this filly is as talented as Got Stormy was. She's going to have a target on her back now, and there will be some serious milers in there with a lot of speed.”The “Fastest Horse of the Week” was GI Woody Stephens Stakes winner Englishman (Maxfield), who earned a 115 Beyer figure. The Fastest Horse of the Week segment is sponsored by WinStar, which stands the sire Two Phil's.Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman reviewed the many graded stakes races on a spectacular weekend of racing at Saratoga. All agreed that, aside from the Belmont, the best performances came from Englishman and Nysos (Nyquist) in the GI Metropolitan Handicap. They also discussed a ruling from a hearing officer in Kentucky to reinstate trainer Maria Borell's license.To watch the video version of the podcast, click here.For the audio version, click here.The post Mark Casse Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast Presented By Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.