Jackie’s Warrior Outlasts Dream Shake In Pat Day Mile

The return to one-turn races wasn't a cake walk for Jackie's Warrior in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on Saturday at Churchill Downs, but the colt showed plenty of tenacity to survive a sustained challenge from a game Dream Shake down the stretch and pick up his first win of the year.

The 3-year-old son of Maclean's Music was put on the lead early by regular rider Joel Rosario, challenged on his immediate outside by Dream Shake, and further out by a group including Dreamer's Disease and Noble Reflection. That lead quartet bobbed for the lead as the field left the chute and entered the main course, with Jackie's Warrior soon giving himself a bit of space from the rest of the front pack.

No stranger to setting hot fractions, Jackie's Warrior blazed through an opening quarter in :21.75 seconds, with the remaining three lead contenders remaining within striking distance.

The pace remained fast through the half-mile point, with Jackie's Warrior passing the post in :43.68 seconds; the fastest opening half he's set in seven career starts. Dream Shake and Dreamer's Disease remained in hot pursuit on the outside, while Joe Fraizer advanced up the rail to pose a threat directly behind the leader.

Rosario kept his mount under a hand ride through the turn, and swung Jackie's Warrior further off the rail as he entered the home stretch. The only challengers that remained after such electric opening fractions were Dream Shake and Defunded, who was moving up on the far outside.

Dream Shake, under Flavien Prat fully engaged Jackie's Warrior at the quarter pole, completing three-quarters in 1:07.97. Though Dream Shake was unrelenting in his challenge all the way to the wire, he could never get his nose in front. Jackie's Warrior kept the challenger at bay under an aggressive – but not desperate – ride by Rosario, to prevail by a head.

Four and a half lengths behind the runner-up, Whiskey Double advanced from the back of the field to win a three-way photo over Defunded and Sittin On Go.

Jackie's Warrior stopped the clock in 1:34.39 in the one-mile race, paying $6.60 to win as the 2-1 favorite.

With the victory, Jackie's Warrior improved his career record to five wins in seven career starts for earnings of $868,964.

After starting his career with four straight wins, all at a mile or shorter including two in Grade 1 competition, Jackie's Warrior had been on a two-race losing streak, finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and third in the G3 Southwest Stakes. The Pat Day Mile marked a successful return to his element.

Steve Asmussen trains Jackie's Warrior for owners J. Kirk and Judy Robison. He was bred in Kentucky by J & J Stables, out of the A. P. Five Hundred mare Unicorn Girl.

To view the full Equibase chart, click here.

PAT DAY MILE QUOTES

Joel Rosario (Jockey, Jackie's Warrior, winner) – “I was pretty confident that he was going to hang in down the stretch. He likes when a horse comes up to him and he really digs in. I was not worried about the fast early pace because he fights very hard down the stretch.”

Steve Asmussen (Trainer, Jackie's Warrior, winner) – “I'm proud of who Jackie's Warrior is, under these circumstances, only validates of the beliefs we had in him. It's quite obvious that he's a special horse and there are plenty of opportunities for him out there that will serve his assets best.”

Flavien Prat (Jockey, Dream Shake, runner-up) – “He showed speed out of the gate and I got terrific position. He was running well all the way around and I moved right up outside the winner. I thought I was going to catch him through the length of the stretch. I really thought I was going to get there. My horse ran too good to get beat.”

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Jackie’s Warrior Faces ‘Rising Star’ Challenge in Pat Day Mile

J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) returns to one turn for the first time since winning the GI Champagne S. last October as the likely favorite in Saturday's GII Pat Day Mile beneath the Twin Spires.

A $95,000 Keeneland September purchase, Jackie's Warrior is perfect in four starts up to a mile, having stamped himself as the leader of his generation with powerful front-running victories in the GII Saratoga Special S. and GI Hopeful S. ahead of a 5 1/2-length tally in the Champagne that made him the one to beat in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. In close attendance to a very demanding pace on Breeders' Cup Friday, the scopey bay colt poked a head in front between calls in the final stages, but weakened last to finish fourth, beaten just over three lengths behind champion Essential Quality (Tapit), in an effort better than it looks on paper. Connections understandably gave him one more chance to board the Triple Crown train in the GIII Southwest S. over a sloppy Oaklawn strip Feb. 27, but he tired after getting things very much his own way up front and checked in a distant eighth.

Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) defeated next-out Keeneland maiden romper and Justify (Scat Daddy)'s 'Rising Star' half-brother Stage Raider (Pioneerof the Nile) by 8 1/2 lengths to graduate first time out over seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park Jan. 23. The homebred validated 1-10 favoritism in a one-mile allowance in Hallandale Mar. 11, but he wasn't quite ready for prime time when sixth, beaten five lengths, behind the Todd Pletcher-trained, Derby-bound duo of Bourbonic (Bernardini) and Dynamic One (Union Rags) in the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct Apr. 3. Prevalence worked a bullet three furlongs in :35 2/5 (1/5) over the Churchill main track Apr. 24.

Dream Shake (Twirling Candy) caused a bit of a dust-up in his career debut, winning by 4 3/4 lengths at 20-1 and earning a 96 Beyer Speed Figure in a 'Rising Star'-worthy performance. Third to fellow 'Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) in the GII San Felipe S. and to Derby second choice Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI Santa Anita Derby, he, too, can benefit from this cutback in distance.

This race has been known to toss up the occasional long-priced winner and Sittin On Go (Brody's Cause) could be a live outsider. A debut graduate sprinting at Ellis Park last August, he defeated Derby entrants Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) and Super Stock (Dialed In) to upset the GIII Iroquois S. over course and distance on the Derby undercard last September. Beaten nearly 50 lengths combined in his last three tries around two turns, the chestnut will try to make a run from out of it in a race that appears to be loaded with speed.

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Dream Shake, Hozier Out; King Fury Moves Into Kentucky Derby Field

The connections of both Dream Shake and Hozier have taken their colts out of consideration for the 2021 Kentucky Derby, allowing the Ken McPeek-trained King Fury to move into the 20th spot on the leaderboard.

Dream Shake, third last out in the Santa Anita Derby for trainer Peter Eurton, will head to the Pat Day Mile, while the Bob Baffert-trained Hozier, sixth in the Arkansas Derby, was first confirmed out of the Run for the Roses by Blood-Horse's Byron King. The latter colt worked six furlongs in 1:16.00 Friday morning at Churchill Downs, slowest of three at the distance.

King Fury, a son of Curlin, won the G3 Lexington Stakes last out under jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. The chestnut colt was making his first start of 2021 in that race, following a win in the Street Sense Overnight Stakes as a 2-year-old.

On the bubble now is Keepmeinmind for trainer Robertino Diodoro, at 21st on the leaderboard.

Likely starters in the 147th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles on Saturday, May 1 in order of preference (with possible jockey and trainer):

  1. Essential Quality (Luis Saez, Brad Cox);
  2. Hot Rod Charlie (Flavien Prat, Doug O'Neill);
  3. Super Stock (Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen);
  4. Like the King (Drayden Van Dyke, Wesley Ward);
  5. Known Agenda (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher);
  6. Rock Your World (Joel Rosario, John Sadler);
  7. Bourbonic (Kendrick Carmouche, Todd Pletcher);
  8. Medina Spirit (John Velazquez, Bob Baffert);
  9. Midnight Bourbon (Mike Smith, Steve Asmussen);
  10. Mandaloun (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox);
  11. Caddo River (TBA, Brad Cox);
  12. Highly Motivated (Javier Castellano, Chad Brown);
  13. Helium (Julien Leparoux, Mark Casse);
  14. Soup and Sandwich (Tyler Gaffalione, Mark Casse);
  15. Dynamic One (Jose Ortiz, Todd Pletcher);
  16. Sainthood (TBA, Todd Pletcher);
  17. Hidden Stash (Rafael Bejarano, Vicki Oliver);
  18. O Besos (Marcelino Pedroza, Greg Foley);
  19. Get Her Number (TBA, Peter Miller);
  20. King Fury (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek);
  21. Keepmeinmind (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro);
  22. Starrininmydreams (TBA, Dallas Stewart)

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Trio Of West Coast Runners Prep At Santa Anita For Kentucky Derby

Rock Your World, impressive undefeated winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3, worked five furlongs Saturday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., in :59.60 for the G1 Kentucky Derby on May 1.

The son of Candy Ride went in company with stablemate Tripoli, who was clocked in 1:00.20. Trainer John Sadler plans to have one more breeze at Santa Anita for Rock Your World, likely next Saturday, before shipping to Kentucky.

“I had him going a minute for five furlongs with Serapio Figueroa riding, in company with Tripoli,” Sadler said. “It was a pretty effortless work, just smooth and relaxed. I was very happy.”

Also working this morning for the Run for the Roses were Dream Shake, third in the Santa Anita Derby, who went five furlongs with Flavien Prat aboard in a bullet :59.20 for trainer Peter Eurton, and G2 Louisiana Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie, who went six furlongs in 1:14.20, also with Prat up.

“It was a pretty comfortable work,” Eurton said. “He was well within himself. I'm very pleased.”

Dream Shake's time was the fastest of 72 at the distance, the average time of which was 1:01.60.

“He looked solid,” O'Neill said of Hot Rod Charlie, who will be ridden on May 1 by Prat.  “So far, so good.”

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