Brown seeks second BC Juvenile win at Del Mar
ELMONT, N.Y. - Jack Christopher exited his victory in Saturday’s Grade 1 Champagne Stakes in good order, according to Dan Stupp, the assistant to trainer Chad Brown, and the unbeaten 2-year-old will be pointed to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Del Mar.
Brown won the 2017 Juvenile at Del Mar with Good Magic, who was a maiden after finishing second in both of his first two starts. Jack Christopher was a dominant winner first out and backed that up with a solid performance Saturday, stalking the pacesetting Gunite, overtaking him at the top of the lane, and winning by 2 3/4 lengths over the late-running Commandperformance.
Brown believes while Jack Christopher has plenty of speed, he’ll switch off and relax behind horses as well.
“Will he do it around two turns? I don’t know,” Brown said Saturday. “But we’ll be sure to have him prepared in the morning to take a little dirt and sit and wait. He’s been doing it fine so far, we’ll see if he can do it at Del Mar.”
Jack Christopher earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory.
Commandperformance will be considered for the Juvenile as well as other spots, part-owner Mike Repole said Sunday. Repole commended his partner on the horse, Vinnie Viola, for suggesting two days after his second-place finish in a maiden race to point to the Champagne. On Saturday, Commandperformance closed well from far back to finish second, seven lengths clear of third-place finisher Wit.
Commandperformace’s runner-up finishes in both of his first two starts is exactly the form Good Magic took into the 2017 Juvenile at Del Mar. Commandperformance is trained by Todd Pletcher.
“It’s a big decision, Vinnie and Todd and I will talk about,” Repole said. “We’ll debate it friendly for about 100 hours and then we’ll make a decision. It’s a great problem to have, but a lot of times these early decisions you make with these horses is very crucial to their careers.”