Month: June 2022

Kirk and Judy Robison's reigning sprint champion Jackie's Warrior added to his growing resume with an eased-up daylight victory over five overmatched foes in Friday's Grade 2 True North Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

With Joel Rosario a statue in the saddle except for an occasional backwards peek, Jackie's Warrior cruised to the wire five lengths in front of runner-up Sound Money, with War Tocsin another seven lengths back in third and Baby Yoda fourth, Mr Phil fifth and Night Time last in the field of six older runners.

A 4-year-old by Maclean's Music out of Unicorn Girl, by A.P. Five Hundred, Jackie's Warrior sped 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.09 and paid $2.50 as the 1-5 favorite. The time was three-fifths of a second off the track record of 1:14.46 set by Wesley Ward-trained Bear Fan in the 2004 Vagrancy Handicap.

Trainer Steve Asmussen said Jackie's Warrior will be pointed toward two Grade 1 Saratoga sprint stakes this summer: the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on July 30 and the Forego Stakes on Aug. 27.

“It's as simple as he's very fast,” said Asmussen. “It's a race and he's a very fast horse that has a tremendous amount of poise and confidence about himself. How he's handling races and all three of his runs this year, he's eased up late [with] good separation from them.

“He exudes confidence in the mornings and knows what he's doing, he enjoys it. I loved him in the post parade, just walked as far as they wanted and as soon as they started off, he just gave it a little play like 'Let's do this.' He broke nice and smooth, very relaxed. The separation he gets without being asked is beautiful. He's so rhythmic watching him run.

“Joel [Rosario] as a jockey lets them be who they are extremely well. He's ridden him since his second race continuously and the success they have at a high level and the attitude and approach the horse has compliment each other. It's allowed them both to get to this point.”

The True North was the 11th win from 15 career starts for Jackie's Warrior, whose breeding rights were purchased by Spendthrift Farm during October of his 2-year-old season after winning the G1 Champagne Stakes. He had earlier won the  G2 Saratoga Special and G1 Runhappy Hopeful.

Last year at 3,  after Jackie's Warrior finished third in the G3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn, his second consecutive defeat around two turns, Asmussen decided to focus on one-turn races going forward. He won four of his next six though ending the season on a disappointing note with a sixth-place finish in the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint. He had still done enough to convince Eclipse Awards voters that he was North America's best male sprinter.

Jackie's Warrior returned in 2022 to win the G3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn, then ran away to a four-length score in the G1 Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby day.

In the True North, War Tocsin broke on top but was quickly overtaken by Jackie's Warrior. Mr Phil raced up and engaged Jackie's Warrior from the inside through an opening quarter mile in :22.83. Approaching the far turn, Jackie's Warrior asserted himself, taking command through a half mile in :45.52 while racing well off the rail. Turning into the stretch, the only question that remained was how much the winning margin would be and how fast Jackie's Warrior would cover the distance. He clicked off a 1:08.68 fraction for six furlongs and spent the final half furlong being geared down by his rider.

“It took a little time to get him going, but he was just doing his thing after that,” said Rosario. “He's a special horse. I just sat and let him do his thing and he's unbelievable. He means everything. So many great memories. He's a special horse. He's very smart and fast and he's on my list as one of the top horses [I've ridden].

“I looked back and was so far in front and decided to save some for the next one. He's special. You can see I never showed the stick. He did it all on his own.”

The post Jackie’s Warrior Toys With True North Foes; Asmussen Eyes Vanderbilt, Forego At Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Friday's Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup at Belmont Park was won for the fifth consecutive edition by an invading European and second by a German-based horse when Ostermann Manfred's Loft raised the roof and lowered the course record in the two-mile test of stamina.

The Marcel Weiss trainee won by a widening 3 1/4-lengths over Canadian classic winner British Royalty, crossing the wire in a time of 3:16.68 over the firm Widener turf course.

Ridden by five-time German champion jockey Andrasch Starke, substituting for Rene Piechulek whose visa troubles prohibited him from coming stateside, the bay charge gave his conditioner a second significant international success of the past year, having shocked the racing world with another son of Adlerflug, 72-1 Torquator Tasso, in France's 2021 Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Ridden patiently from post one, the bay 4-year-old gelding settled in seventh of eight through healthy early fractions of a half-mile in 49.56, six furlongs in 1:13.39, and one mile in 1:37.96 set by 2-1 favorite Abaan and Luis Saez, flanked by UK-based 3-1 third choice Outbox and Hollie Doyle.

Starke did not panic entering the backstretch for the second time of the three-turn affair and was even more unbothered when his mount shifted back to last entering the far turn through 12 furlongs in 2:28.22, as British Royalty and Box N Score made their moves to his inside and outside and Abaan began to shrug off Outbox at the fore.

Waiting until inside the three-furlong-pole to launch his bid, Loft stormed past all but two horses – a driving British Royalty and fading Abaan – before pulling clear once he changed his leads. The victory was his third career triumph from 11 starts and improved his career bankroll to $331,675.

“Amazing [performance],” Weiss said. “If we have the chance, we will come back.”

Starke said a patient trip was key.

“I saw there was a lot of space and the front horses were already under pressure,” Starke said. “I didn't want to go so wide, but I still waited during the last turn and moved to the outside. He was making up ground well. There was a lot of pace during the race and I trusted my horse,” he continued. “I didn't want to get in a hurry. I was traveling well around the bend. I had a horse in front of me and I had to shift out. He made no consequences and he ran a good race.”

British Royalty, with Joel Rosario up, and Outbox had poor adjacent starts, with the former striking the gate and forcing the latter out while in a tangle.

“I thought I was going to be a little bit closer but he looked like he put himself further back,” Rosario said. “Then he came with a run after that horse got the jump on me before turning for home. I thought for a second we were going to come and get it, but he kept going. He ran good. A two-mile race is an unusual distance, so it's always a concern. But he did good and he hung in there. It looked like he had no problem with it.”

Strong Tide, who stalked throughout and gamely chased home the top two under Dylan Davis, was third a nose astern British Royalty. Cibolian, Abaan, Box N Score, Outbox and Novo Sol completed the order of finish.

“He ran great,” Davis said. “I thought he had a great chance. I know he was 20-1 but he had a really tough trip last time [in the Grade 3 Louisville] and he was better than that race. It's a firmer course now and he really wanted to be comfortable and he switched off for me. I saved all the ground and I got excited turning for home. He felt great. Once he started taking command at the three-eighths pole, I just wanted him to keep his stride going, so I started getting into him turning for home. I tried to hold on for second.”

Next races are undetermined for the winner, who had exited a professional victory in Hoppegarten's Group 2 Oleander-Rennen, and appears a staying star on the rise.

Live racing resumes Saturday at Belmont Park with a 13-race Belmont Stakes Day card boasting eight Grade 1 events, highlighted by the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. First post is 11:20 a.m. Eastern.

The post German Raiders Take Down Belmont Gold Cup With Loft appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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