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Jackie’s Warrior Just Too Fast in Churchill Downs

The sprint division will be going through champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) once again if Satuday's tour-de-force victory in the GI Churchill Downs S. is any indication.

A return winner in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn's GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. Apr. 16, he was favored at even-money to register his fourth career Grade I victory.

The J. Kirk and Judy Robison colorbearer took his usual spot up front and led his six rivals through much-easier-than-anticipated early fractions of :22.76 and :45.50. He cornered four wide and allowed GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (Hard Spun) an inviting opening along the rail as they turned for home.

Jackie's Warrior was still cruising though, and was ridden with confidence by Joel Rosario down the lane en route to a four-length victory over Reinvestment Risk (Upstart). Aloha West was third.

“First, I can't say enough about the [J. Kirk and Judy] Robisons putting a champion stallion back in training and letting us enjoy him another year,” winning Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said. “He's now a Grade I winner at two, three and four. And, the style in which he won today was just beautiful. I thought Joel [Rosario] said it best when we were in paddock just watching him standing there. He said, 'They don't come along like this all the time, do they' and they don't. When you're the speed of the race, you just stay on the path you want. He's older, more confident and stronger.”

Rosario added, “It seemed better to keep him off the rail. It seemed to be a better place for him. He's an amazing horse. The speed that he is able to give you. He is just a strong horse, to get out of there [at the start]–like a quarter horse, and to keep going with that speed. He's just there for you whenever you ask.”

A winner of the GII Pat Day Mile S. on this card 12 months ago, his championship season was topped by a memorable win over the talented Life Is Good (Into Mischief) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. at Saratoga. The $95,000 KEESEP yearling also captured the GII Amsterdam S. and GII Gallant Bob S. and was a painful second in the GI Woody Stephens S. Jackie's Warrior, also a two-time winner at the highest level at two, exited a disappointing sixth-place finish as the heavy favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint with a bone chip in his knee.

Pedigree Notes:

The future Spendthrift Farm Jackie's Warrior is one of four top-level scorers for Maclean's Music. He is the lone graded winner for broodmare sire A.P. Five Hundred. Jackie's Warrior's dam Unicorn Girl (A.P. Five Hundred) summoned $850,000 from Arthur Hoyeau at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale. Her now-2-year-old colt by American Pharoah preceded her in the ring, bringing $600,000 from Coolmore's M.V. Magnier. Unicorn Girl also has an unraced 3-year-old filly named Lenni Girl (Candy Ride {Arg}). She failed to get in foal to Into Mischief for 2021, but has a filly of this year by the leading sire.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
CHURCHILL DOWNS S. PRESENTED BY FORD-GI, $750,000, Churchill Downs, 5-7, 4yo/up, 7f, 1:21.95, ft.
1–JACKIE'S WARRIOR, 123, c, 4, 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. $455,700. Lifetime Record: Ch. Male Sprinter, 14-10-1-1, $2,309,664. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Reinvestment Risk, 123, c, 4, Upstart–Ridingwiththedevil, by Candy Ride (Arg). *TDN Rising Star* ($140,000 Ylg '19 FTKJUL; $280,000 2yo '20 OBSMAR). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Aschinger Bloodstock Holdings, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $147,000.
3–Aloha West, 123, h, 5, Hard Spun–Island Bound, by Speightstown. ($160,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Robert Manfuso & Katharine M. Voss (MD); T-Wayne M. Catalano. $73,500.
Margins: 4, 1, 4 1/4. Odds: 1.00, 4.60, 4.20.
Also Ran: Sir Alfred James, Mind Control, Long Range Toddy, Prevalence. Scratched: Cezanne.
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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Obligatory From Out of the Clouds in Derby City Distaff

In another zip code at the top of the stretch, Juddmonte homebred Obligatory (Curlin) turned in a furious stretch rally to record a career high in Saturday's GI Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill Downs.

Favored Just One Time (Not This Time), a last out winner of Keeneland's GI Madison S., showed the way through fractions of :22.36 and :44.95 and hit the quarter pole as the one to catch. Obligatory, meanwhile, last of seven throughout, tipped out six wide beneath Jose Ortiz for the stretch run. Longshot Four Graces (Majesticperfection) took over from the pacesetter in deep stretch, but couldn't withstand the streaking gray, who came rolling over the top to get up by 3/4 of a length. It was another 2 1/2 lengths back to Just One Time in third.

“The only thing I reminded Jose [Ortiz] about beforehand was something he knew: her stretch run is her weapon,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “The goal with a filly like this is to get her a Grade I. She loves Churchill; for whatever reason she just really does well at this track. She's won a Grade II and a Grade III here, so we pointed for this race to get her her Grade I. Glad she got it.”

A 16-1 upset winner from out of the clouds in the GII Eight Belles S. on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard last year, Obligatory's sophomore campaign also included second-place finishes in the GI Acorn S. June 5 and GI Cotillion S. Sept. 25. She entered the Derby City Distaff riding a two-race winning streak, capturing the GIII Chilukki S. in her season finale beneath the Twin Spires Nov. 20 and the GIII Hurricane Bertie S. at Gulfstream Mar. 12. She is now three-for-three at Churchill Downs.

“She's a very nice mare,” Ortiz said. “I feel like she's getting better and better. I just waited and let her get into her own rhythm. They were going very fast on the front end. I was sitting at the back of the pack. I didn't want to sweep her off her feet to get a good finish. I was very happy with the trip I had. I swung a little wide because I felt like I had enough [horse].”

Pedigree Notes:

Obligatory becomes the 18th Grade I winner for Hill 'n' Dale's leading sire Curlin. He has sired 47 graded winners. Macho Uno is the broodmare sire of six graded winners, including GI Kentucky Derby starter Tawny Port (Pioneerof the Nile). This is his first Grade I winner in North America. Obligatory is a third-generation Juddmonte homebred. Juddmonte bought her unraced third dam, Nijinsky Star, for $700,000 at the 1987 Keeneland November sale. Among the three stakes winners Nijinsky Star produced were Juddmonte's Viviana (Nureyev), who produced seven-time GISW Sightseek (Distant View) and dual GISW Tates Creek (Rahy). Another daughter was the conduit for Juddmonte's recent MGSW & MGISP Bonny South (Munnings) and Obligatory's dam is a half sister to French G1SW Etoile Montante (Miswaki). Obligatory's fourth dam is Hall of Famer Chris Evert (Swoon's Son), whose descendants include champion Chief's Crown (Danzig). The extended family is positively bursting with stakes performers, including recent G1 Saudi Cup runner-up Country Grammer (Tonalist). Uno Duo has a 2-year-old colt by Juddmonte's late Arrogate named Treble Clef and a yearling filly by Into Mischief. She was bred to Speightstown for this season.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
DERBY CITY DISTAFF S. PRESENTED BY KENDALL-JACKSON WINERY-GI, $750,000, Churchill Downs, 5-7, 4yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:22.17, ft.
1–OBLIGATORY, 123, f, 4, by Curlin
                1st Dam: Uno Duo (SW, $171,300), by Macho Uno
                2nd Dam: Willstar, by Nureyev
                3rd Dam: Nijinsky Star, by Nijinsky II
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $455,700. Lifetime Record: 11-5-2-0, $1,228,594. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Four Graces, 123, m, 5, by Majesticperfection
               1st Dam: Ivory Empress (GSP, $189,402), by Seeking    the Gold
                2nd Dam: Madame Pandit, by Wild Again
                3rd Dam: Tuesday Evening, by Nodouble
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Whitham Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes. $147,000.
3–Just One Time, 123, f, 4, by Not This Time
                1st Dam: Ida Clark, by Speightstown
                2nd Dam: Eliza Donner, by Oh Say
                3rd Dam: Witch Wabbit, by Salem
O-Warriors Reward, LLC and Commonwealth New Era Racing; B-Warrior's Reward LLC (PA); T-Brad H. Cox. $73,500.
Margins: 3/4, 2HF, NK. Odds: 3.80, 16.20, 1.50.
Also Ran: Bell's the One, Kimari, Edgeway, Center Aisle. Scratched: Lady Rocket.
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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Jack is Back in Pat Day Mile

In the post-race interview, trainer Chad Brown compared Saturday's impressive GII Pat Day Mile winner Jack Christopher (Munnings) to Hall of Famer Ghostzapper (Awesome Again), who Brown worked with while under the tutelage of Bobby Frankel. Like Jack Christopher, Ghostzapper also missed the Triple Crown series and focused on races around one turn during his 3-year-old season before blossoming into a top handicap horse at four, including a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

“This horse reminds me a lot of Ghostzapper, I was fortunate to work with that horse, he moves about the same as him and that one had a few rough patches as well,” Brown said. “He has a lot more to do, how far we'll see. It's a wonderful victory, very gratifying, but it's bittersweet that we got him to the first Saturday in May [but not the Derby], which we had been thinking about since he debuted at Saratoga. To get him here on the first Saturday in May, and to get him to the winner's circle, it'll always be in the back of my mind what could have been. It is what it is.”

While those are some big shoes to fill, and whether a 10-furlong Classic is in Jack Christopher's future remains to be seen, but he's certainly off to a good start with three impressive victories from as many starts.

Well hyped heading into his six-panel debut at Saratoga Aug. 28, the flashy chestnut–who is the spitting image of his sire–more than lived up to the buzz with a dazzling 8 3/4-length score, earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors. He followed suit with a decisive score in Belmont's one-mile GI Champagne S. Oct. 2, earning a 102 Beyer Speed Figure. The early favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the $135,000 FTKOCT buy was scratched by the vets the night before the race. A stress fracture was discovered in his left shin which required a screw and he did not return to Brown until February, making the GI Kentucky Derby basically impossible.

Hammered down to 3-5 favoritism for this return, Jack Christopher brushed with his inside neighbor a bit after the break, but was kept steady by Jose Ortiz and tugged his way up three wide between horses to establish position exiting the chute. He pressed from a joint second as GII Best Pal S. winner Pappacap (Gun Runner) clocked early fractions of :22.70 and :45.61. Sidling up besides the pacesetter on the backstretch run, the Brown pupil seized command at the top of the stretch with Pappcap still to his inside and GIII Swale S. victor My Prankster (Into Mischief) ranging up to challenge on the outside. Neither proved to be any match for Jack Christopher, who was kept to task by Ortiz when he began to drift slightly in the lane and gunned clear in the final sixteenth to win as he pleased. Pappacap held second over My Prankster.

“We asked a lot of him today after a long layoff and an injury,” Brown said. “Coming off of a layoff, you never know, especially running a mile. I had a really good feel, here on Derby Day, I asked a lot of him. I chose this race because I wanted him to run against his own age group, and I didn't want to sprint the horse. I wanted to run him in a race that allowed him to stretch his legs a little bit, get comfortable at some point of the race, protect him, and to move him forward. It certainly worked today.”

The Eclipse winner continued, “Jose did a great job, he got squeezed a little bit at the start, and made the good decision to use him early to move him up and out and in the clear. He really took control of the race at that point. At the end of the day, he's a super talented race horse and if we can keep him on the track, we'll see a lot of great things from him.”

“Cutting back to one mile brought my horse's 'A' game today,” Ortiz said. “I was worried around the three-eighths pole because I thought if there was one horse that could beat me it was Pappacap after he ran so well last time [fourth in the GI Curlin Florida Derby]. So I moved into him and when I got to him at the five-sixteenths, I felt like I had him. I heard Flavien [Prat on Pappacap] asking for more and he wasn't getting anywhere. So I was confident and waited longer so I had plenty horse for the end.”

Pedigree Notes:
Jack Christopher is one of five Grade I winners for Coolmore's Munnings and one of three of his offspring to secure that top-level score in 2021 along with Eda and Kimari. Breeder Castleton Lyons purchased the winner's dam Rushin No Blushin for $70,000 at the 2014 KEENOV sale in foal to Congrats. The half-sister to MGISW sire Street Boss (Street Cry {Ire}) did not have much luck at first. The resulting foal died and her next two foals did not do much running. She was barren in 2018 and then came Jack Christopher. The 13-year-old mare's only foal since is a juvenile filly by Mo Town. Rushing No Blushing failed to get back in foal to Munnings for 2022 and visited Complexity last spring. This is also the family of graded winners Bellera, Life Imitates Art and Beyond Blame.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
PAT DAY MILE S. PRESENTED BY LG&E AND KU-GII, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 5-7, 3yo, 1m, 1:34.81, ft.
1–JACK CHRISTOPHER, 122, c, 3, by Munnings
1st Dam: Rushin No Blushin, by Half Ours
2nd Dam: Blushing Ogygian, by Ogygian
3rd Dam: Fruhlingshochzeit, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
($145,000 RNA Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $135,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). *TDN Rising Star*. O-Jim Bakke, Gerry Isbister, Coolmore Stud and White Birch Farm, Inc.; B-Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $291,400. Lifetime Record: GISW, 3-3-0-0, $621,400. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pappacap, 122, c, 3, Gun Runner–Pappascat, by Scat Daddy. O/B-Rustlewood Farm, Inc. (FL); T-Mark E. Casse. $94,000.
3–My Prankster, 120, c, 3, Into Mischief–My Wandy's Girl, by Flower Alley. ($600,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Lawana L. and Robert E. Low; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $47,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, HD, 2. Odds: 0.70, 7.50, 8.20.
Also Ran: O Captain, Trafalgar, Doppelganger, Tejano Twist, Kavod, Major General, Trademark, Ben Diesel. Scratched: Howling 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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Pricey Arqana Buy Speak of the Devil Leads Home Brant and Brown 1-2 at Churchill

Peter Brant's €$1.95-million investment at last year's Arqana December sale to acquire Speak of the Devil (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) looks like it might be paying off as the even-money favorite in Saturday's GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. showed off an uncommon turn-of-foot to blow away fellow Brant/Chad Brown representative and 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian. The victory came almost exactly 24 hours after Brant and Brown celebrated another victory with a fast-finishing female in still-unbeaten GIII Modesty S. heroine Bleecker Street (Quality Road). Brown saddled the exacta in that event as well, and Brown and Brant also took last year's Distaff Turf Mile.

Having previously carried the colors of Rashit Shaykhutdinov, Speak of the Devil's career highlights in her native country included a nose second in the 2020 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches for Fabrice Chappet and a head third in last August's G1 Prix Rothschild after being transferred to Frederic Rossi. She returned to winning ways with victories in Saint-Cloud's Oct. 31 Prix Isola Bella and Nov. 16 Prix Tantieme before heading off to auction.

Entering with plenty of buzz off a sharp-looking worktab mostly at Payson Park, the bay sat at the back early as In Italian cleared off easily and doled out splits of :24.86 and :49.70 while kept off the fence. With second trailer Wakanaka also traveling well off the inside, pilot Flavien Prat on the eventual winner opted for an early move entering the home bend. Slicing inside of Wakanaka and then out into the clear, Speak of the Devil and Prat were all the way up to challenge In Italian in a practical blink of an eye. In Italian punched back along the fence as Speak of the Devil continued on far out in the course, but the latter ultimately had an extra gear or two and scampered home much the best.

“I thought I was in some good holes, but for some reason she was not progressing down the backside,” said Prat. “So I decided to drop down to the inside, and as soon as I called on her she cut really well. The track feels very good after all the rain.”

“So lucky to have this filly,” Brown said. “She was turned her over to us last fall. Every week she kept getting better and indicated everything you want to see. You hate to run these fillies against each other, but really there's not a lot of options out there at a mile right now, so we let them settle it on the racetrack and today Speak of the Devil was better.”

Speak of the Devil was not the first 2021 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale seven-figure alumni to succeed on the racecourse in recent days–€2.5-million buy Grand Glory (GB) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) took the May 1 G3 Prix Allex France Longines at ParisLongchamp in the colors of Haras de Hus.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
LONGINES CHURCHILL DISTAFF TURF MILE S.-GII, $500,000, Churchill Downs, 5-7, 4yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:37.47, fm.
1–SPEAK OF THE DEVIL (FR), 118, m, 5, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
                1st Dam: Moranda (Fr), by Indian Rocket (GB)
                2nd Dam: Spain, by Bering (GB)
                3rd Dam: Sevilliana (GB), by General Holme
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. (€45,000 Wlg '17 ARQDE; €62,000
Ylg '18 AROYRG; €1,950,000 4yo '21 ARQDEC). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Herve Viallon (FR); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat.
$306,900. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Mare-Fr at 7-9.5f, MSW
& MG1SP-Fr 15-6-3-2, $604,576. *1/2 to Morando (FR)
(Kendargent (FR)), MGSW-Eng, GSP-Fr, $374,805. Werk Nick
Rating: D. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–In Italian (GB), 118, f, 4, Dubawi (Ire)–Florentina (Aus), by
Redoute's Choice (Aus). 'TDN Rising Star' (475,000gns Ylg '19
TATOCT). O-Peter M. Brant; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds (GB);
T-Chad C. Brown. $99,000.
3–Wakanaka (Ire), 118, f, 4, Power (GB)–Storyline (Ire), by
Kodiac (GB). (£3,500 Ylg '19 GOFFPR). O-Team Valor
International & Gary Barber; B-Mrs Jean Brennan (IRE);
T-William I. Mott. $49,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, 3, 3. Odds: 1.10, 2.20, 4.50.
Also Ran: Lady Speightspeare, Flower Point, Abscond. Scratched: Mona Stella, She Can't Sing. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:
Speak of the Devil is the 17th group/graded winner for her sire, and eighth out of a mare by Indian Rocket. Her dam is a half to MGSW winner Myasun (Fr) (Panis) and a full to SW Matwan (Fr), who is the dam of a group winner, a stakes winner, a group-placed runner and a stakes-placed runner. Moranda has a 2-year-old filly by Anodin (Ire) and a yearling colt by Best Solution (Ire).

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