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Jackie’s Warrior, Cyberknife Available For Inspection at Spendthrift

Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and two-time Grade I winner Cyberknife (Gun Runner) are available for inspection at Spendthrift Farm Nov. 9-15 from 1:30-3 p.m. daily. Though Jackie's Warrior made his final career start when third in last weekend's GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint, Gold Square's Cyberknife–the unlucky runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile–will return to the barn of trainer Brad Cox Nov. 15.

“Jackie's Warrior has settled in nicely at the farm and is such an impressive specimen, especially for a horse coming off a pretty hard campaign,” said Ned Toffey, Spendthrift general manager. “It's special to be able to add another great champion to our stallion ranks and we're excited to be able to show him off to breeders. Cyberknife ran great to finish a head behind older horse Cody's Wish in the Dirt Mile, and he came to the farm looking well and with good energy. He is set to run again before retiring, however, it was important for us to be able to show him to breeders over the course of the next week.”

Jackie's Warrior will stand for an introductory fee of $50,000 S & N and retires as the first champion sprinter in 34 years to have won as many as five Grade I races. He became the only horses in the history of racing at Saratoga to post top-level success in three straight seasons when winning this year's GI A. G. Vanderbilt H. in dominating fashion.

Cyberknife, winner of this year's GI Arkansas Derby and GI Haskell S., will command a fee of $30,000 upon his retirement.

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Cyberknife Leads Home Gun Runner Exacta in Haskell

OCEANPORT, NJ – Gold Square LLC's Cyberknife (Gun Runner) led home a one-two finish for his sire when he charged up the rail in deep stretch to nip Taiba (Gun Runner) on the line while setting a new track record in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park Saturday. The victory gave trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux their second winner from as many starters in the Haskell following Mandaloun (Into Mischief)'s win via disqualification in the 2021 renewal of the race and put an end to a remarkable streak of four straight graded wins on the card by Chad Brown, who saddled favored Jack Christopher (Munnings) to a third-place finish.

Let go at 7-1, Cyberknife broke from the rail and was allowed to settle into stride as longshot Benevengo (Gormley) took the field through fractions of :23.50 and :46.96 while shadowed by Jack Christopher. The favorite moved to the lead after three-quarters in 1:09.93, while Geroux aboard Cyberknife was waiting for racing room and Taiba was rallying five wide into the lane. Taiba was first to overtake the tiring favorite, but Cyberknife was slicing through a narrow opening along the rail. The two sons of Gun Runner went head to head in the final strides with Cyberknife just getting the better of his foe in the last jump. The final time for the nine furlongs was 1:46.24, lowering the track record set just four races earlier when Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) won the GIII Monmouth Cup S. in 1:46.53. The previous nine-furlong record at Monmouth Park had stood since 1985 when GI Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck covered the distance in 1:46.80.

The win, which rewarded the victor with an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, was a hometown score for New Jersey native Al Gold of Gold Square LLC.

“This is a very big deal for me personally,” Gold said. “I started betting horses when I was a kid and have owned horses for 40 years. You always have fantasies. You want to win the Kentucky Derby and all the big races, but this is one of the ones I really wanted to win. We go to the [Aug. 27 GI] Travers next and we'll see where we are. And we're on our way to the Breeders' Cup.”

Cyberknife won the Apr. 2 GI Arkansas Derby, earning a spot in the GI Kentucky Derby. The colt faded to 18th after chasing a hot pace in the Derby, but came back to outnose Howling Time (Not This Time) in the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs last time out June 12.

“I think this is his best race to date,” Cox said of Cyberknife's Haskell victory. “Throughout the race I thought he looked very professional with the way he handled himself. At the quarter-pole, Florent Geroux had a nice hold of him and he was loaded. He responded well when asked. He flew at the end. I am very proud of him. He was able to settle. Florent took a good hold of him and then made a run up the backside and got him in position along the rail. Florent looked like he had a lot of horse when he turned for home. He was just figuring out whether he was going inside or outside of the leader. It looked like he made the right decision staying to the inside and we were able to hold off Taiba. It was a big effort. I'm very proud of this horse and our whole staff. He's been a challenging horse at times. A lot of the good ones are.”

With his third-place finish, Jack Christopher was suffering the first loss of his career while making his first start beyond a mile. The loss put a stop to a streak of four straight graded tallies on the Haskell card by Brown, who won the Monmouth Cup with Highly Motivated, the GIII WinStar Matchmaker S. with Lemista (Ire) (Raven's Pass), the GIII Molly Pitcher S. with Search Results (Flatter) and the GI United Nations S. with Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}).

A crowd of 22,138 attended the races on a stifling hot day on the Jersey Shore Saturday, wagering $1,303,642 on track. All-sources handle totaled $19,896,954–up from the 2021 figure of $16,414,535, but off the record mark of $20,479,392 set in 2020.

Pedigree Notes:

Gun Runner, third in the 2016 GI Kentucky Derby, also came into the Haskell off a win in the Matt Win, but the champ was fifth in the Oceanport oval's signature race. Cyberknife is one of five Grade I winners for the Three Chimneys stallion, who has also been represented by this year's GI Preakness S. winner Early Voting and 2021 2-year-old filly champion Echo Zulu.

Cyberknife's dam Awesome Flower was a multiple stakes winner and three times graded placed for breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey. She has an unraced 2-year-old colt by Tapit named Tapit Shoes–who was purchased by the BSW/Crow Colts Group and trainer Brad Cox for $300,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale–as well as a weanling colt by Authentic. She was bred back to Gun Runner this year.

The Haskell winner's third dam, Well Dressed, produced G1 Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed (Tiznow), Grade I placed Helsinki (Distorted Humor) and graded winner Witty (Distorted Humor), dam of graded winner Bombard (War Front) and multiple graded placed Amuse (Medaglia d'Oro). Also under the third dam is Grade I winner American Patriot.

Saturday, Monmouth Park
TVG.COM HASKELL S.-GI, $1,017,500, Monmouth, 7-23, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:46.24, ft.
1–CYBERKNIFE, 122, c, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Awesome Flower (MSW & MGSP, $556,593), by Flower Alley
2nd Dam: Formalities Aside, by Awesome Again
3rd Dam: Well Dressed, by Notebook

($400,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Gold Square LLC; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $600,000. Lifetime Record: 9-5-2-0, $1,596,520. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Taiba, 122, c, 3, Gun Runner–Needmore Flattery, by Flatter. ($140,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT; $1,700,000 2yo '21 FTFMAR). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Bruce C Ryan (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $200,000.
3–Jack Christopher, 119, c, 3, Munnings–Rushin No Blushin, by Half Ours. ($145,000 RNA Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $135,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud and Peter M. Brant; B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
Margins: HD, 2, 4HF. Odds: 7.80, 2.10, 0.70.
Also Ran: Howling Time, Benevengo, King of Hollywood, White Abarrio, One Time Willard.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Gun Runner’s Cyberknife Posts Mild Arkansas Derby Upset

Saturday's $1.25-million GI Arkansas Derby was supposed to be all about Secret Oath (Arrogate), who had so dominated her peers that trainer D. Wayne Lukas and owner/breeder Briland Farm decided to roll the dice and bypass what would have been a far easier task in the GIII Fantasy S. The betting public largely endorsed the idea, sending the chestnut off as the 7-5 favorite, but in the end, it was not meant to be, as Gold Square LLC's Cyberknife (Gun Runner) was the recipient of a cerebral ride from Florent Geroux and ran away in the final furlong to score an upset of the mildest variety. Barber Road (Race Day) snagged second on the wire from Secret Oath, who raced well behind a strong pace and made what appeared to be a winning bid on the turn, only to peak on the run and peter out in the final stages.

With the exception of Secret Oath, who was pinched back in tight between GII Rebel S. winner Un Ojo (Laoban) and Ben Diesel (Will Take Charge), the Arkansas Derby field was off to a level beginning and they lined up five across the track with a circuit to travel, with Chasing Time (Not This Time) ceding the advantage to the rail-drawn Kavod (Lea) as they raced into the first turn. 'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (Into Mischief) was part of the pace three or four wide, while Geroux tucked Cyberknife into fourth position.

Kavod had the call after a stiff opening half-mile in :46.54, at which point Geroux made a key decision to allow Cyberknife to take a gap one off the rail between Kavod and Chasing Time, a choice that looked that much better when the latter was one of the first to call it a day and began backpedaling with 3 1/2 furlongs to race. Cyberknife was asked to engage Kavod approaching the five-sixteenths marker and looked to have that one at his mercy, but Secret Oath was winding up with a marauding sweep into contention. But while the filly was being driven along to try to bridge the gap, Cyberknife was more or less on cruise control–albeit a bit green–as he rolled down towards the fence in upper stretch. Put to a Geroux drive at the eighth pole, Cyberknife weaved in and out, but was always maintaining a safe advantage to the line. Barber Road rallied from the back to complete the exacta, as Secret Oath ran out of gas in the final 50 yards.

“Great effort with some high hopes for him,” Geroux commented. “We always thought he was very talented. Looks like he finally put it together and he's probably not even 100%, as he was zig-zagging down the lane. I'm hoping he's going to be a little straighter on the first Saturday in May. But, a very talented horse.”

Demoted from an apparent debut victory sprinting at Churchill Sept. 25, Cyberknife was a green second at 2-5 beneath the Twin Spires Nov. 5 before graduating by a half-length at odds-on in his first go at two turns at the Fair Grounds Dec. 26. A well-beaten sixth with blinkers added for the GIII Lecomte S. in New Orleans Jan. 22, Cyberknife regrouped with a three-length allowance tally in the Big Easy Feb. 19 and targeted this event. His 'TDN Rising Star' stablemate Zozos (Munnings) shipped to the Fair Grounds off a 10 1/4-length Oaklawn allowance success to be runner-up to top GI Kentucky Derby hopeful Epicenter (Not This Time) in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 26.

Lukas was making no excuses for Secret Oath.

“We got outrun today,” the Hall of Famer said. “Made that big move [on the second turn] and I thought she would sustain it, but she didn't. The race didn't unfold like you'd hope it to. It just didn't come together. We got bumped at the start and that got her back too far and then she made that monster move. It's hard to sustain it. She might have run that quarter pretty damn fast.”

Pedigree Notes:

Cyberknife is yet another feather in the cap for his boom stallion, who has now sired 10 stakes winners and six graded scorers (now three at Grade I level) from his first crop that has already yielded 37 individual winners.

Cyberknife is the second of Saturday's three Kentucky Derby prep winners to emerge from the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase, having hammered for $400,000. Hailing from the female family of G1 Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed (Tiznow), GSW Witty (Distorted Humor) and Grade I winner and Darley Japan sire American Patriot (War Front), Cyberknife is out of a six-time stakes-winning mare who is also responsible for a 2-year-old colt named Tapit Shoes (Tapit) and a colt by Horse of the Year Authentic foaled Mar. 4.

Saturday, Oaklawn Park
ARKANSAS DERBY-GI, $1,250,000, Oaklawn, 4-2, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.42, ft.
1–CYBERKNIFE, 119, c, 3, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Awesome Flower (MSW & MGSP, $556,593), by Flower Alley
2nd Dam: Formalities Aside, by Awesome Again
3rd Dam: Well Dressed, by Notebook
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($400,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Gold Square LLC; B-Kenneth
Ramsey & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent
Geroux. $750,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-0, $860,000. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
2–Barber Road, 119, c, 3, Race Day–Encounter, by Southern
Image. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($15,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV). O-WSS
Racing, LLC; B-Susan Forrester & Judy Curry (KY); T-John
Alexander Ortiz. $250,000.
3–Secret Oath, 117, f, 3, Arrogate–Absinthe Minded, by Quiet
American. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Briland Farm, Robert
Mitchell & Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. $125,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 3/4, 4HF. Odds: 5.80, 10.00, 1.40.
Also Ran: Doppelganger, Kavod, Ben Diesel, We the People, Un Ojo, Chasing Time. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Cyberknife To Represent Cox Barn in Arkansas Derby

Gold Square LLC's Cyberknife (Gun Runner) will make his next start in the $1.25-million GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park Apr. 2, trainer Brad Cox told the Oaklawn press office.

A $400,000 acquisition by owner Al Gold out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase, the chestnut is unbeaten in two starts going long outside of stakes competition, having graduated in his first route attempt at the Fair Grounds Dec. 26 before tacking on a three-length allowance victory at the New Orleans oval Feb. 19. In between those efforts, he was a well-beaten sixth in the Jan. 12 GIII Lecomte S. Cyberknife worked five furlongs in 1:00 flat at the Fair Grounds Mar. 12.

“He's probably going to continue to work down [at the Fair Grounds], but we've pretty much zeroed in on the Arkansas Derby,” Cox said. “He's a tough horse to deal with, he always has been. He's gotten better. He appears to be improving. I thought his last race was a step forward. Got a really good figure the last race. I think it's going to stack up and probably be one of the better ones in the Arkansas Derby and if he runs that race, I think he's a player.”

Cox's other main GI Kentucky Derby hope is 'TDN Rising Star' Zozos (Munnings), who is being pointed at the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 26.

Nominations to the Arkansas Derby, which offers 170 points (100-40-20-10) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, close this Friday, Mar. 18.

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