2021 Eclipse Awards: Jack Christopher
On a Travers Day card last Aug. 28 at Saratoga that saw a number of racing’s stars – and would-be champions – perform, one potential star-in-the-making was unveiled when Jack Christopher won a six-furlong maiden race by 8 3/4 lengths.
The son of Munnings, devastating on debut, followed that up five weeks later with a super effort winning the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park, a race that earned him a 102 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest number achieved by a 2-year-old in five years. Though he would be forced to miss the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance – in which he was made the morning-line favorite – due to a physical issue, Jack Christopher’s two performances were enough to land him as a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the outstanding 2-year-old male in North America.
A son of Munnings out of the Half Ours mare Rushin No Blushin, Jack Christopher was purchased for a relatively modest $135,000 at the Fasig-Tipton yearling auction in October 2020. He was purchased by Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister. After his scintillating debut for trainer Chad Brown, Peter Brant and Coolmore Stud, which stands Munnings at its Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., bought into the colt.
In the Champagne, Jack Christopher opened up a 5 1/2-length lead by midstretch and coasted home a 2 3/4-length winner over the late-running Commandperformance. The one-mile race was initially timed in 1:37.61, but a review of the race by those who make Beyer Speed Figures came up with a time of 1:36.72 that elevated the figure.
:: Full list of 2021 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories
Brown noted that the chestnut colt was always flashy-looking and backed up his looks with brilliance on the track.
“He’s up there in rare territory of horses that start off their career that fast, so it makes them a high-profile horse, which he deserves to be,” Brown said after the Champagne. “He worked brilliantly before he ever ran. He’s run brilliantly in both starts and he deserves all the recognition. With that comes high expectations.”
Brown said Jack Christopher, who was bred by Castleton Lyons and the Kilboy Estate, reminded him of Good Magic, a horse who had finished second in his first two starts, including the Champagne, before winning the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar to be crowned 2-year-old champion.
On the eve of this year’s Juvenile, Jack Christopher was scratched by the Breeders’ Cup veterinarians, who were uncomfortable with a callus on the colt’s shin. A couple of weeks later, Jack Christopher underwent surgery on his shin. He was scheduled to get six to eight weeks off before joining Brown at his winter base in Payson Park.