None Above The Law Upsets The Chosen Vron In Real Good Deal

Downstream Racing's gray stretch runner None Above the Law found a perfect spot just behind the leaders early, then pounced at the quarter pole and won in the clear in Friday's featured Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif.

The Golden State Series offering was worth $175,500 in total and $99,750 to “Law's” connections. The homebred gelding – whose winning margin turned out to be 5 1/4 lengths – was winning the fifth race of his career and raised his bankroll to $304,060.

Downstream Racing is the nom du course of J. Kirk Robison of El Paso, Texas.

The 3-year-old test was conducted over seven furlongs and the winner covered the distance in 1:22.90 after fractions of :22.98, :46.20  and 1:10.65

Leading rider Flavien Prat was in the boot on “Law” for his third winner of the afternoon.

“We were in a good spot and he was comfortable,” said Prat. “The draw helped us. When I asked him (to go), he was a willing horse. He's a nice horse.”

Leading trainer Peter Miller tightened the cinch on the son of Karakontie for his third victory on the day.

“The No. 1 horse (The Chosen Vron) towered over the field, but he didn't fire today,” said Miller. “And it's hard to win from behind on this track. Our horse tries every time and Flavien (Prat) gave him a great ride, so we couldn't be happier.”

After eight days of racing at the Del Mar stand, Prat now has 16 wins and is well in front in the jocks' standings. Miller has racked up eight victories to easily lead the trainers' parade.

Finishing second in the Real Good Deal was the odds-on favorite The Chosen Vron, who is owned by the partnership of Fetkin, Sondereker or Thornburg, et al, while running third was Brown, Klein or Lebherz's Letsgetlucky.

The winner paid $22.00, $4.00 and $2.60 across the board. The Chosen Vron returned $2.10 and $2.10, while Letsgetlucky paid off at $3.20 for the show.

The track's Pick Six Single Ticket Jackpot wager was not hit for the sixth day in a row and its carryover pot ran up to $441,366.

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Post time for Saturday's 11-race card is 2 p.m.

The stakes win was the fifth of the meet for rider Prat and his fourth in the Real Good Deal Stakes. He now has 65 stakes wins at Del Mar, 12th most of all riders all time.

The stakes win was the second of the meet for trainer Miller and his third in the Real Good Deal Stakes. He now has 40 stakes wins at Del Mar.

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‘Spectacular Individual’ Jackie’s Warrior Exits Champagne In Good Shape

Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior earned a career-best 100 Beyer for his second Grade 1 victory in the $250,000 Champagne at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

Piloted by Joel Rosario, the juvenile son of Maclean's Music parlayed his winning effort in the Grade 1 Hopeful into another Grade 1-victory, when displaying his usual frontrunning style early on and extending his advantage throughout the stretch run, sailing home a 5 1/2-length winner.

“We're just celebrating our win,” said Asmussen's Belmont Park-based assistant trainer Toby Sheets. “The horse came out of the race in good shape and we'll go from there. He's a spectacular individual.”

Sheets said Midnight Bourbon, who ran third in the Champagne, also emerged from the race in good shape. The son of Tiznow picked up his second placing in a graded stakes event. He was previously second in the Grade 3 Iroquois on September 5 at Churchill Downs.

“I was very happy with him. He ran his race,” Sheets said.

Jackie's Warrior, now unbeaten in four lifetime starts, earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile after winning the Champagne, which is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event. He will likely arrive as one of the favorites for the 1 1/16-mile event on November 6 at Keeneland, in attempt to give Asmussen his eighth triumph in a Breeders' Cup race.

Bred in Kentucky by J & J Stables, Jackie's Warrior was purchased for $95,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

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Jackie’s Warrior Now 4-For-4 After Rollicking Champagne Victory

Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior kept an unblemished record intact, establishing an early lead while shaking off a challenge from Reinvestment Risk to win Saturday's 149th running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Champagne going one mile for juveniles over the main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

The 2-year-old son of Maclean's Music improved to a perfect 4-for-4, including two Grade 1 triumphs along with the Runhappy Hopeful on September 7 at Saratoga. He earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on November 6 at Keeneland from his victory in the Champagne, which is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event.

Within a few strides out of the gate, Jackie's Warrior was able to secure his usual frontrunning position under jockey Joel Rosario and recorded the opening quarter-mile in 23.12 seconds over the fast main track with Hopeful runner-up Reinvestment Risk in second and stablemate Midnight Bourbon another path to the outside in third.

Around the turn, through a half-mile in 46.54, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. launched his bid aboard Reinvestment Risk, and came close to being on even terms with Jackie's Warrior. Just outside the quarter-pole, Rosario nudged his charge a couple of times and that was all it took to get Jackie's Warrior to extend his advantage.

Jackie's Warrior opened up by three lengths in the stretch and was geared down just past the sixteenth pole, crossing the wire a 5 1/2-length winner in a final time of 1:35.42. Reinvestment Risk finished 8 ¾ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Midnight Bourbon.

Civil War, Run Casper Run, and Ambivalent rounded out the order of finish.

“He's a beautiful horse; a big horse, and it looks like everything he does is easy for him,” Rosario said. “I was very confident that he could get the mile. I felt confident the whole way. He just enjoyed what he was doing.”

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior, who returned $3.70 for a $2 win bet as the favorite, banked $137,500 in victory which enhanced his lifetime earnings to $402,564.

Prior to his pair of Grade 1 scores, he was a 2 1/2-length winner on debut on June 19 at Churchill Downs before taking the Grade 2 Saratoga Special presented by Miller Lite on August 7 by three lengths.

“He had an easy half-mile and I'm surprised he came home that quick. He's very impressive,” said Asmussen's Belmont Park-based assistant Toby Sheets. “He's a class act and does everything correct. The one-turn mile certainly didn't seem to bother him.”

The Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile will be Jackie's Warrior first two-turn engagement, which Rosario said should be no problem for the unbeaten juvenile.

“I tried to get him away from there quickly and get position. I think the further he goes the better. He seemed to do it very easy today and I was very confident in him,” Rosario said. “I wanted to be a little out in front, so he had confidence, and it looked like he liked that. I let him do whatever he wanted to do. He breaks two lengths in front of everyone and not all horses can do that. He's amazing.”

Bred in Kentucky by J & J Stables, Jackie's Warrior is out of the A.P. Five Hundred mare Unicorn Girl. He was purchased for $95,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont Park with a 10-race card highlighted by the 130th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Futurity, a six-furlong turf sprint offering a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 6 at Keeneland. It is one of two turf stakes for juveniles on the 10-race card, with the Grade 3, $100,000 Matron for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs also on the docket. First post is 12:50 p.m.

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Jackie’s Warrior Too Fast For Rivals In Runhappy Hopeful

Stakes action at Saratoga Race Course concluded with an astonishing performance from J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior, who broke like a rocket and maintained the lead throughout to keep an unbeaten record intact with a 2 1/4-length win in the 116th running of the Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy Hopeful for 2-year-olds going seven furlongs.

As the only stakes winner in the field, Jackie's Warrior made his last start in similar runaway fashion when taking the six-furlong Grade 2 Saratoga Special on August 7 at the Saratoga Springs, N.Y., track.

Piloted by Joel Rosario, Jackie's Warrior was quickest away from the gate and established a two-length lead through opening splits of 22.56 and 44.83 seconds over the fast main track.

Around the far turn, post time favorite Reinvestment Risk put in a bid but Jackie's Warrior kicked away and opened up to a five-length lead in deep stretch. Geared down past the eighth-pole, Jackie's Warrior stopped the clock in 1:21.29. Reinvestment Risk completed the exacta 10 ¼ lengths in front of Mutasaabeq.

Ampersand, Papetu, Nutsie and Fearless Fly completed the order of finish.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who scored his first Hopeful victory last year with Basin, became the first conditioner to notch back-to-back victories in the prestigious event for juveniles since D. Wayne Lukas saddled High Yield (1999) and Yonaguska (2000).

“He's a very athletic colt that gets over the ground extremely well,” said Asmussen's chief assistant Scott Blasi. “Steve picked him out for Mr. Robison, and it's been a good partnership over the years. We're extremely happy to have him.”

Blasi said Jackie's Warrior could target another Grade 1 on the NYRA circuit and point towards the Grade 1, $250,000 Champagne, a one-turn mile on October 10 at Belmont Park.

“He just continues to improve. He gets stronger in his works,” Blasi said. “He does things effortlessly. I'd expect he'd go on to the Champagne and the Breeders' Cup from there. But, one race at a time. We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves.”

Jackie's Warrior was a maiden winner at first asking in June at Churchill Downs when piloted by Ricardo Santana, Jr. in a five-furlong maiden special weight sprint.

Rosario, who led all riders with 13 stakes wins at the meet, was aboard for the last-out Saratoga Special score and said he continues to be impressed by the swift colt.

“He broke really fast and I was two lengths in front right away,” Rosario said. “He's a fast horse. He was able to carry his speed the whole way around. I tried to get off the rail a little bit and it felt like he was comfortable with that.

“It's unbelievable the way he ran he ran last time and he was probably better today,” added Rosario. “He's a big horse and it looks like he can go longer, too.”

Returning $5.70 for a $2 win wager, Jackie's Warrior doubled his lifetime earnings to $265,064 in an unbeaten record of three starts.

Bred in Kentucky by J & J Stables, the Maclean's Music bay is out of the A.P. Five Hundred mare Unicorn Girl and was purchased for $95,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Live racing will now move to Belmont Park for the 27-day fall meet, featuring 38 stakes worth $5.58 million in purse money, that will kick off on Friday, September 18 and run through Sunday, November 1.

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