Jackie’s Warrior Dominates in the Champagne

JACKIE’S WARRIOR (c, 2, Maclean’s Music-Unicorn Girl, by A. P. Five Hundred) kept his perfect record in tact with another dominant performance in Belmont’s GI Champagne S., a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” event. Following his debut win at Churchill with a victory in the GII Saratoga Special S., he captured Saratoga’s GI Runhappy Hopeful S. last time Sept. 7. Hammered down to 4-5 favoritism to repeat her, Jackie’s Warrior broke on top and cruised through opening splits of :23.12 and :46.54 with ‘TDN Rising Star’ Reinvestment Risk (Upstart) in tow. Bearing out a bit to be two wide turning for home, the $95,000 KEESEP buy was kept steady by pilot Joel Rosario and took flight for the wire, sailing clear with ease under a motionless Rosario to win by daylight. Reinvestment Risk was best of the rest in second. The final time for the mile was 1:35.42. Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0.

O-J. Kirk & Judy Robison; B-J&J Stables (KY); T-Steve Asmussen.

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Keeneland: Perfect 3-For-3 Day for Diodoro, M & M Racing, Cohen

M & M Racing of Mike Sisk zoomed to the top of the Keeneland owner standings Friday with three winners from three starters at the Lexington, Ky., track. All were ridden by David Cohen and trained by Robertino Diodoro.

“There was a lot of texting going on yesterday afternoon,” Diodoro said. “I think he was in Dallas. He hasn't been in the game long, but we need more owners like him.”

Sisk, in 2009 founded Low T Centers that provide diagnosis and treatment for men with low testosterone and other health issues. The company has upwards of 50 clinics in a dozen states. He operates M & M Racing with his wife, MIckala. Former trainer Cody Autrey is the stable's racing manager.

Friday rivaled the day that Godolphin and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had April 15, 2017, here when they won with all four entrants, including Dickinson in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1) and Watershed in the Ben Ali (G3).

“I don't think I have gone three-for-three for the same owner in one day,” Diodoro said. “And definitely not at Keeneland, and that's the most important thing.”

Nomizar started the day with a 10 3/4-length romp in the second race at odds of 3-1. New Mexico-bred Ghostly Who won the fourth race by 7 1/2 lengths at odds of 6-1, and Strike That took the eighth race by a head at 6-1.

Diodoro, whose main base of operations was Turf Paradise for 10 years before he relocated to Oaklawn Park, is a relative newcomer to the Kentucky circuit.

“A year or two ago, I tried to get more involved,” said Diodoro, who has ranked third in wins in North America the past two years. “You can't beat the facilities here, at Churchill and at Ellis and the purses are good.”

Diodoro began training in 1995 and has amassed more than 2,500 wins. However, things really began to take off in 2014 with Diodoro averaging more than 230 victories a year with a 23-26 percent win rate.

“I'm only one person,” Diodoro said. “I've got good owners and they are good guys and I've got good help with guys that have been with me for a while.”

Among the horses Diodoro has here is Southern Equine Stable's Keepmeinmind, runner-up in last Saturday's Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) who is pointing toward the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

“He is doing well,” said Diodoro, whose previous Breeders' Cup starter was Grade 3 winner Broadway Empire, who finished ninth in the Dirt Mile (G1) in 2013. “(Keepmeinmind) will work next weekend, but for now we are taking it day by day.”

During his banner day on Friday, Diodoro had two other runners for Heads Up Racing finish third in two races behind his runners. For the meet, he is 100 percent in the money with a 9-4-2-3 mark.

His 10th  starter, Blacktop Legend, comes in this afternoon's fourth race.

“He is in a little deep,” Diodoro said. “It is his first time for us.”

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Juvenile Action Headlines Sunday Cards

Sunday’s action across Europe again focuses on the juveniles, with Cologne’s G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten the feature for next year’s Classic aspirants and The Curragh staging the re-scheduled G3 Jebel Ali Racecourse and Stables Anglesey S. In the former contest, Gestut Hony-Hof’s Sea of Sands (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is an intriguing contender following his win in a decent 7 1/2-furlong maiden at Baden-Baden on Sept. 6 and as a relative of the Monsun (Ger) heavyweights Samum (Ger) and Schiaparelli (Ger) has much to commend her. Gestut Ittlingen’s Sampras (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) also impressed over this mile trip at Dortmund on Sept. 20 on the same card that Stall Lintec’s Best of Lips (Ire) (The Gurkha {Ire}) scored with authority over nine furlongs.

In the Anglesey, the standard-bearer is the Sept. 27 G3 Weld Park S. runner-up Aunty Bridy (Ire) (Camacho {GB}), while Ballydoyle have a duo engaged in the Sept. 26 G1 Middle Park S. sixth Lipizzaner (Uncle Mo) and the Oct. 1 Fairyhouse maiden winner Preamble (Ire) (No Nay Never).

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Paul Pompa Jr. Dies At 62; Campaigned Big Brown, Connect

Paul Pompa Jr., a prominent Thoroughbred owner and breeder best known as the co-owner of Big Brown, winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, died on Friday at the age of 62. Daily Racing Form's David Grening indicated the New Jersey resident's death may have been from an apparent heart attack.

Pompa entered Thoroughbred ownership in 2000 and enjoyed  considerable success, campaigning at least 15 graded stakes winners including Connect, winner of the G1 Cigar Mile Handicap in 2016 and now standing at Lane's End in Versailles, Ky.

Other major winners include multiple graded stakes winners Backseat Rhythm (G1 Garden City); Zakocity, D'Funnybone, Night Prowler and most recently Regal Glory, a homebred by Animal Kingdom who won the G3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes on Sept. 12.

But it was Big Brown that put Pompa on the map as a Thoroughbred owner. President of Truck-Rite Corp. in Brooklyn, N.Y., Pompa purchased the Boundary colt for $180,000 from Eddie Woods, agent, at the 2007 Keeneland April Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. He named him Big Brown, a nickname for UPS, a major client of his trucking company.

After a first-out win at Saratoga while trained by Patrick Reynolds, Pompa sold majority interest in the colt to IEAH Stables and Big Brown won six of his next seven starts, including the G1 Florida Derby, G1 Kentucky Derby, G1 Preakness Stakes and G1 Haskell Invitational Stakes for trainer Rick Dutrow. His only career defeat came when turning in a puzzling effort while being eased in the G1 Belmont Stakes while going for a sweep of the Triple Crown.

In recent years, Pompa had horses with Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher and Linda Rice. Some were homebreds, some purchased at auction and he also claimed a few that he called “action horses.”

Five years after Big Brown entered stud, Pompa paid $150,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Yearling Sale for a Curlin colt consigned by VanMeter Sales that would be named Connect. Winner of two races in his juvenile season for Brown, Connect would go on to win the G2 Pennsylvania Derby at 3 and then beat older horses in the Cigar Mile in 2016.

Connect came back to win the G3 Westchester Stakes  the following year in a prep for the G1 Metropolitan Mile Handicap, but a suspensory injury sustained in training prompted his retirement.

Known for having an even keel when it came to the ups and downs of ownership, Pompa told Daily Racing Form's Grening, “One day you have the favorite for the Met Mile. The next day, the horse will probably never run again. That's pretty much the way owners live.”

Upon learning the news of Pompa's death, Pletcher told Grening: “Devastating loss for everyone, great man, great owner. He always saw the bright side of everything.”

Pompa is survived by his wife Elisa and sons Paul III and Michael. Arrangements were pending.

 

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