It's been a big year for Wathnan Racing, the racing operation founded in 2022 by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and it got even bigger last Saturday at Saratoga. Wathnan scored another major victory when the lightly raced 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Leading Change (Gun Runner) won the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. That no doubt put a smile on the face of the stable's U.S. Racing Manager Case Clay, who was this week's Gainesway Guest of the Week on the TDN Writers' Room Podcast, presented by Keeneland. During his segment, Clay talked not only about Wathnan's success but also his background, which included time spent as a standup comic.To run Leading Change, also the winner of the GIII Indiana Derby, in such a tough race in just his third start signaled to some that the horse might not be ready for the assignment. But the Wathnan team was confident that their $800,000 Keeneland September purchase had the talent to make it to the winner's circle.“It started with the confidence that Brad Cox had in Leading Change after the Indiana Derby,” Clay said. “I was standing pretty near him when he was being interviewed after Leading Change won the Indiana Derby and the person interviewing asked, 'Are you thinking maybe Pennsylvania Derby?' And he said, 'or the Travers.' That made me turn my head a little bit and I thought 'that's a fun thing to think about.' If it weren't for Brad and his confidence in Leading Change, he might not have even been in the Travers. It was an unconventional idea but showed the confidence we had in the horse. Brad said, and quite rightly, that if he wins the race, he's going to have to win on talent and not seasoning. Fortunately, that's what he did.”After the victory, Cox surprised some when he said that the 2026 GI Breeders' Cup Classic may not be in the plans for Leading Change.Clay said running in the Classic is not out of the question, but that they would likely go in another direction.“I know it's a boring answer, but were not quite sure yet when it comes to the Breeders' Cup,” Clay said. “I would say we are leaning away from the Classic this year, but nothing is set in stone. Things could change. Maybe he comes out of the race and the dust settles and he's just knocking down the doors. But looking at his 4-year-old year and all the important races that are out there for 4-year-olds, perhaps not butting heads with these really nice older horses this year is the best way to go. Maybe we will all get excited in a couple of weeks and decide to go for it. Who knows?”The son of Robert Clay, the founder of Three Chimneys Farm, Case seemed destined to follow in his father's footsteps. And he did become the president and COO of Three Chimneys, but only after he chased his dream. Clay wanted to be a standup comic. He spent six years with iO Theater, an improv theater and training center in Chicago, and also had a stint at Second City. His goal was to make it onto the cast of Saturday Night Live, That didn't happen, but during his journey he made several lifelong friends, including Seth Meyers and Jason Sudeikis. He remains in touch with both.“They're great friends,” Clay said. “A lot of us who started out in Chicago are still very good friends. I can live vicariously through Seth and Jason. Each year for the Derby, I will get a a text from Seth. NBC asks some of these talk show hosts to make a Derby pick. Every year Seth asks me, 'Who should I pick?' This year it was (the Wathnan-owned) Commandment. That had to be my pick.”The “Fastest Horse of the Week” was the brilliant Englishman (Maxfield), the winner of the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes. He earned a 117 Beyer Speed Figure. The Fastest Horse of the Week is sponsored by WinStar Farm.Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV and West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Randy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman reviewed the Travers day card and sung the praises of Leading Change and Englishman. They also talked about the letter sent by Churchill Downs to the FTC asking it to conduct an independent review of HISA and previewed this weekend's major races at Saratoga, Kentucky Downs and Del Mar.To watch the TDN Writers' Room podcast, click here. For the audio-only version, click here. The post Wathnan’s U.S. Racing Manager Case Clay Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.