Steve Asmussen | Horse Racing Free Tips

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 All Heart In Pat Day Mile

Jackie's Warrior showed his appreciation for the cutback to one-turn with a gutsy score in the Pat Day Mile Saturday beneath the Twin Spires. Breaking sharply, the favorite took up his preferred position at the head of affairs, zipping through an opening quarter in :21.75 with a trio of rivals hot on his heels. Traveling comfortably as he registered a :43.68 half-mile, the chestnut turned for home in front out in the three path. Confronted by 'TDN Rising Star' Dream Shake in the lane, Jackie's Warrior refused to be denied and kept on finding to fend off that foe and return to the winner's circle. It was 4 1/2 lengths back to Whiskey Double in third.

“I'm proud of who Jackie's Warrior is, under these circumstances, only validates of the beliefs we had in him,” said winning conditioner Steve Asmussen. “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.”

“I was pretty confident that he was going to hang in down the stretch,” said Joel Rosario, who was also in the irons for the colt's three prior graded scores in New York. “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.”

A debut winner going five furlongs over this strip last June, Jackie's Warrior wired the GII Saratoga Special S. next out in August and repeated in that venue's GI Runhappy Hopeful S. a month later. Dominating the GI Champagne S. going a one-turn mile at Belmont Oct. 10, he could only manage fourth as the favorite when trying two turns for the first time in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile S. at Keeneland Nov. 6 and was third when given another try routing in Oaklawn's GIII Southwest S. Feb. 27, both of which were won by champion Essential Quality (Tapit).

Pedigree Notes:

Jackie's Warrior is one of three Grade I victors, five graded winners and 21 black-type scorers by Maclean's Music. His dam Unicorn Girl RNA'd for $110,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale and came back to sell to Arthur Hoyeau for $850,000 at the 2020 renewal of that auction thanks to her son's accomplishments and the Into Mischief in her belly. She had a Candy Ride (Arg) filly in 2019 and an American Pharoah colt in 2020, who brought $600,000 from Coolmore's M. V. Magnier at KEENOV. Unicorn Girl has yet to produce that Into Mischief foal.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
PAT DAY MILE S. PRESENTED BY LG&E AND KU-GII, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 5-1, 3yo, 1m, 1:34.39, ft.
1–JACKIE'S WARRIOR, 122, c, 3, by Maclean's Music
1st Dam: Unicorn Girl, by A. P. Five Hundred
2nd Dam: Horah for Bailey, by Doneraile Court
3rd Dam: Horah for the Lady, by Rahy
($95,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-J. Kirk and Judy Robison; B-J & J
Stables (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Joel Rosario. $291,400.
Lifetime Record: MGISW, 7-5-0-1, $868,964. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Dream Shake, 118, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Even Song, by Street
Cry (Ire). ($32,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP; $75,000 2yo '20 OBSAPR).
Rising Star O-Exline-Border Racing LLC, SAF Racing, Richard Hausman and
Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Dunwoody Farm (KY); T-Peter
Eurton. $94,000.
3–Whiskey Double, 118, c, 3, Into Mischief–Lake Sebago, by
Munnings. ($875,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Buck Pond Farm, Inc. & Richard M. Seale
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $47,000.
Margins: HD, 4HF, HD. Odds: 2.30, 3.80, 11.60.
Also Ran: Defunded, Sittin On Go, Dreamer's Disease, Starrininmydreams, Prevalence, Joe Frazier, Three Two Zone, Noble Reflection. Scratched: Ultimate Badger.
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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The Sun Shines Bright On Kentucky Derby Day In Louisville: Scratches, Odds And Statistics

For the first time since 2015, there will be no rain falling on the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs for a Kentucky Derby held on its traditional date in Louisville, Ky., on the first Saturday in May.

The 2020 Run for the Roses was contested under clear skies and a fast track on Sept. 5, with no fans in the grandstand due to the coronavirus pandemic that caused track officials to delay the race. A limited number of tickets are being sold for this year's renewal.

Dawn broke cool but clear, with temperatures expected to reach 73 degrees by the 6:57 p.m. ET post time for the 147th running of the Derby. Forecast calls for sunny skies throughout the day, the first mostly sunny Derby day in May since 2005.

First post for the 14-race card is 10:30 a.m. ET. The Derby is the 12th race.

There was one scratch announced on Friday for the Derby, with Kenny McPeek having to withdraw King Fury (No. 16) due to a fever and elevated white blood cell count. This year's Derby, thus, will run with 19 starters.

Other scratches on the Derby day card announced at 8 a.m. Saturday: race 2, the also eligibles (Nos. 13 through 16); race 3, Harvard (No. 1); race 4, the also eligibles (13-16); race 8, the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile Stakes, Ultimate Badger (No. 2); race 10, the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes, Attachment Rate (No. 6), who ran in Friday's Alysheba Stakes, finishing sixth; race 12, the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, King Fury (No. 16); race 13, Triple Tap (No. 6, a half brother to American Pharoah), Santa Cruiser (No. 10), Shadow Matter No. 1A).

NBCSN will air Derby coverage from noon until 2:30 p.m. ET, with the NBC network picking up coverage from 2:30-7:30 p.m. Coverage is also available to stream live on NBCSports.com and on the NBC Sports app.

This will be the second year Churchill Downs officials are using a new starting gate that can accommodate up to 20 horses. Prior to 2020, an auxiliary gate was used to start 20-horse Derby fields, with 14 runners in the main gate and up to six in the auxiliary gate.

The winningest post position since a starting gate was first used in 1930 is No. 5, with 10 victories from 91 starts, the most recent being Always Dreaming in 2017. Next is post one, with eight wins from 91 starts, the most recent being Ferdinand in 1986.

Win bet odds for the Kentucky Derby (as of 9 a.m. ET) are:

1. Known Agenda, 16-1
2. Like the King, 54-1
3. Brooklyn Strong, 54-1
4. Keepmeinmind, 53-1
5. Sainthood, 42-1
6. O Besos, 44-1
7. Mandalounn, 40-1
8. Medina Spirit, 15-1
9. Hot Rod Charlie, 7-1
10. Midnight Bourbon, 15-1
11. Dynamic One, 45-1
12. Helium, 51-1
13. Hidden Stash, 39-1
14. Essential Quality, 6-5
15. Rock Your World, 9-2
16. King Fury SCRATCHED
17. Highly Motivated, 16-1
18. Super Stock, 46-1
19. Soup and Sandwich, 30-1
20. Bourbonic, 33-1.

Essential Quality was installed the 2-1 morning line favorite, but his odds plunged on Friday after James “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, a well-known horse owner and furniture store owner from Houston, Texas, made a $500,000 win bet on the gray colt by Tapit. McIngvale said he will be betting between $2 million and $4 million as insurance against a promotion he's doing that will refund mattress purchases if the Derby favorite wins.

Favorites won six consecutive Derbies, from 2013-18, with 4-1 favorite Improbable running fourth in 2019 and 7-10 favorite Tiz the Law second in the delayed Derby of 2020.

Brad Cox, the Eclipse Award-winning trainer of 2020, will be saddling his first Derby starters in Essential Quality and Mandaloun. Cox is a Louisville native who grew up in the shadow of the Twin Spires.

Trainer Bob Baffert will sent out Medina Spirit in an attempt for a seventh Kentucky Derby victory from 34 starts. That would make the Hall of Fame conditioner the winningest trainer in Derby history. Baffert is currently tied with another Hall of Famer, Ben Jones, who won six Derbies from 11 starters. (Read more about “Plain Ben” Jones here.)

At the other end of the spectrum is Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who has the unfortunate distinction of saddling the most Kentucky Derby starters – 21 – without a victory. He will be represented by Midnight Bourbon and Souper Stock.

John Velazquez is the winningest Derby jockey among this year's riders, with three from 22 mounts. He'll ride Medina Spirit. Javier Castellano, who rides Highly Motivated for trainer Chad Brown, has the most Derby mounts without a victory among active riders. Dating back to 2005, Castellano carries an 0-for-14 record into this year's Derby dating

Sixteen of the 19 runners were bred in Kentucky, with the other three Florida-breds.

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Scarred Steps Into Stakes For Asmussen In Saturday’s Oaklawn Stakes

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen has more than one-third of this year's nominees (11 of 32) to the $300,000 Oaklawn Stakes. He figures to have an even bigger presence when the gates open.

A field of seven, including three for Oaklawn's perennial leading trainer, is entered in Saturday's Oaklawn Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles. The closing-day feature of the weather-shortened 51-day meeting goes as the 11th of 12 races, with probable post time 6:18 p.m. (Central). First post Saturday is 12:05 p.m. The infield will be open, weather permitting.

Oaklawn Stakes entrants from the rail out: Scarred, David Cabrera to ride, 121 pounds, 5-2 on the morning line; Causeway Jones, Rocco Bowen, 118, 9-2; Convention, Cristian Torres, 118, 5-1; Fulsome, Martin Garcia, 118, 3-1; Warrant, Fernando De La Cruz, 118, 4-1; Game Day Play, Ramon Vazquez, 124, 12-1; and Unanimously, Francisco Arrieta, 118, 9-2.

The Oaklawn Stakes winner receives automatic entry into the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, May 15 at Pimlico. Asmussen, who won the inaugural Oaklawn Stakes (then known as the Oaklawn Invitational) in 2019 with Laughing Fox, is represented by Scarred, Convention and Unanimously. Laughing Fox finished fifth in the Preakness.

Scarred will be making his stakes debut after clearing his first allowance condition at one mile March 25 at Oaklawn. Convention is also exiting a first-level allowance victory, that coming March 31 at Sam Houston. Unanimously, who will add blinkers, finished third in the $100,000 Crescent City Derby March 20 at Fair Grounds in his last start. Unanimously's victories have come at a mile and a mile and 70 yards.

The speedy Causeway Jones, in his two-turn debut, finished second, beaten 1 ¼ lengths by Scarred, last month for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who co-owns the chestnut son of Creative Cause.

Warrant will be scratched, trainer Brad Cox said, but the 2020 Eclipse Award-winning conditioner is still scheduled to be represented by Fulsome, who won an off-the-turf entry-level allowance (his first race on dirt) at 1 1/16 miles April 10 at Keeneland in his last start. Fulsome, a son of super sire Into Mischief, earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure, highest of any Oaklawn Stakes entrant, for his 3 ½-length victory.

“It's a good spot for him,” Cox said. “It's a little quick back, but he ran a very good race at Keeneland. It was a career-best number for him. Hopefully, he can move forward off that effort.”

Game Day Play was supplemented to the Oaklawn Stakes after being claimed for $75,000 out of his last start, April 10 at Oaklawn, by trainer Robertino Diodoro.

Last year's Oaklawn Stakes winner, Mr. Big News, finished third in the rescheduled Kentucky Derby (COVID-19) for trainer Bret Calhoun.

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