11/06/2012 5:19PM

Delta Downs: Hightail among pre-entries for Delta Downs Jackpot

By Mary Rampellini
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Barbara D. Livingston
Hightail, winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, has been pre-entered in the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint winner Hightail was one of 15 horses pre-entered Tuesday in the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot. The 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds will be run Nov. 17. It is the centerpiece of the Delta meet in Vinton, La., and it anchors a card of eight stakes worth $2.2 million. The program also includes the Grade 3, $500,000 Delta Downs Princess for 2-year-old fillies, which drew 14 pre-entries Tuesday.

Final entries for both races will be taken next Wednesday, Nov. 14. The fields will each be limited to 10 starters over the six-furlong oval at Delta.

Hightail cut back to six furlongs for the Juvenile Sprint and rolled up the rail to win his maiden in the championship race. Other high-profile Jackpot pre-entrants are Bern Identity, winner of the Grade 2 Sanford at Saratoga who gets first preference into the Jackpot by virtue of his win in the local prep, the $200,000 Jean Lafitte; Overanalyze, winner of the Grade 2 Futurity at Belmont Park; Goldencents, runner-up to BC Juvenile winner Shanghai Bobby in the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont; and Know More, winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal at Del Mar.

Also pre-entered were Two T’s At Two B and Itsmyluckyday, multiple stakes winners at Calder; stakes winners Heaven’s Runway and Tree of Life; stakes-placed runners Keep the Canoli, Mylute, and Joshua’s Comprise; and Show the Magic and Ive Struck a Nerve.

[DELTA JACKPOT: Get PPs, watch full Saturday card live]

Horses who have finished first, second, or third in Grade 1 or Grade 2 races will have second preference in the Jackpot, while third preference goes to horses who finished third or better in Grade 3 races. The final preference ranking will be by overall earnings.

It cost $1,000 to pre-enter on Tuesday, while Central Banker, a recent allowance winner at Churchill Downs, was a $10,000 supplement as he was not among the original list of 301 nominees when they closed Oct. 20.

The Jackpot is part of the “Kentucky Derby prep season” and the new points system that determines preference into the Kentucky Derby if that race is oversubscribed. The winner will get 10 points.

Miss Empire, a stakes winner who also finished third in the Grade 1 Chandelier at Santa Anita, was among the fillies whose connections paid $500 to pre-enter the one-mile Princess. Also pre-entered were Salamera, runner-up in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga; Gal About Town, Cloudy in Sandiego, and Danalake, the respective runner-up, fourth-, and sixth-place finishers in the Grade 2 Pocahontas at Churchill; and stakes winners Rose to Gold, Unhedged, and Promise Me More.

Madame Cactus, who won the local prep, the $150,000 My Trusty Cat, gets first preference into the Princess. Others pre-entered were Floral Sky, Cayllano, Sittin At the Bar, Wittgenstein, and Touch Magic.

Laura More than 1 year ago
I don't understand why the winner of the Jackpot is awarded 10 points for the Derby. Obviously, the people who designed the system didn't look at the quality of winners of this race. The winner is awarded 10 points. The same as the BC Juvenile and other G-1 races. None of the horses that have come out of this race have ever hit the board in the Derby and only one, Big Drama, has become a G-1 winner. This is a third - rate race and none of the winners have been competitive at higher levels. Also, none of the horses that have run in the BC have run a step in the Jackpot, despite often going to post as the favorite.
dylbert More than 1 year ago
Laurie, to quote LMFAO, "Hatin' is bad." I have attended Jackpot every year, except one, since 2006. It is fun night, now day, of racing. My opinion is that this is a race that trainer's take 'shot' at because of purse and Derby gate possibility. Its 10-point status is CDI's method of rewarding these trainer who support CDI tracks. Every year this race wide array of trainers -- Asmussen, O'Neill, Baffert, Breen, McPeek, and more. One cold, foggy Jackpot I stood next to O'Neill as his horse ran up the track. The next year I tradeed good evenings with Steve Asmussen as his horse failed to menace. With move to afternoon, handle has increased and I firmly bellieve quality will continue to increase. One thing you can't deny is the Boyd Gaming is putting up serious dollars to attract Jackpot and Princess fields. Yes, the BC 'leftovers' have not fared well. However, this year you have two horses that skipped 'no Lasix' BC for Jackpot, Bern Identity and Goldencents. I plan to attend in 8 more days! Any other FormBloggers headed to Vinton?
richard montgomery More than 1 year ago
Why not give Hightail a little rest? Why run him back so quick he is only 2 give him a break for cryin out loud!
Alyssa F. More than 1 year ago
The same goes for Know More! I could see maybe if they were three or four year olds or older, but then again racing horses every 2 or 3 weeks was normal back in the day....
chad mc rory More than 1 year ago
Yall know who you're dealing with here, right?
Mine thatbird More than 1 year ago
10 starts for a 2yo is rare these days. As a handicapper I am not big on Lukas getting his horses ready for a race. However, studies do suggest that racing/training more as a 2yo is the way to go as far as bone density and length of racing career go. Regardless, Hightail has a nice pedigree. Hopefully the horse stays healthy and does well.