Becker stablemates look tough in Lightning Jet Stakes

W W Cookie Monster won the 2021 Lightning Jet Stakes last fall at Hawthorne, finished second, beaten a head, in the Robert S. Molaro Stakes at Hawthorne, and in 21 starts has finished first or second 18 times. But is W W Cookie Monster even the leading hope in his stable for the 2022 renewal of the Lightning Jet on Saturday at Hawthorne?

W W Cookie Monster’s trainer, Scott Becker, also entered Fast Jack, who is both far less accomplished and at age 3 much younger than 7-year-old W W Cookie Monster. Students of jockeyology will point out that Victor Santiago rode both horses in their most recent starts and winds up on W W Cookie Monster on Saturday, but Chris Emigh, who pilots Fast Jack, has ridden plenty of winners for the Southern Illinois-based Becker over the last decade-plus. Fast Jack has been on a steady racing pattern since June, winning all four of his starts this year, while W W Cookie Monster races for the first time since June 28.

Ten Illinois-breds were entered in the Lightning Jet, a 6 1/2-furlong dirt dash, including last year’s winner, Huey Attack, and Devileye, who won the previous edition of the race in 2019 but is not nearly the same horse now he was then. The feature, post time 5:36 p.m. Central, is the seventh of eight races on the Saturday program.

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Speed abounds in the Lightning Jet: Three entrants, including both Becker-trained starters, have TimeformUS early pace ratings of 114 or higher, and Locomotor also is quick out of the gate. Fast Jack has been on the lead in all seven of his starts, of which he’s won six, but will he make the front Saturday coming out of a slow-paced two-turn mile Sept. 16 at Fanduel Sportsbook and Racetrack, the former Fairmount Park?

W W Cookie Monster has shown an ability to sit just off the lead and drawn in post 7 with the other main pace inside him, he could get a decent stalking trip out in the clear. The gelding was coming off a far longer layoff a year ago when Huey Attack ran him down this past spring, but, unlike Fast Jack, has no upside at this later stage of his career.

Huey Attack never had run as fast as he did in the Molaro and hasn’t run as fast since; his rail draw and stalking style could lead to a difficult trip. If you’re looking for a closer to swoop past tiring pace horses – which hasn’t happened much this meet – 8-year-old What’s Up Dude, 15-1 on the morning line, is the best option. What’s Up Dude was much too close to the pace when he finished third in the 2021 Lightning Jet and will improve upon a sixth-place finish Oct. 8 when he returned from a layoff of more than five months.

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