Credit Jerkens with an assist in Shilling's Tempted Stakes victory
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Officially, Kenny McPeek will be the trainer of record of Shilling, who won Thursday's $150,000 Tempted Stakes by four lengths at Aqueduct. But Jimmy Jerkens, a former Grade 1-winning trainer who began working earlier this year as an assistant to McPeek, took some satisfaction in returning to the Aqueduct winner's circle following a stakes race.
Shilling, under Chris Elliott, took control of the Tempted soon after the start, turned back a challenge at the five-sixteenths pole from Secane, then drew off to the decisive victory in the Tempted, a mile race for 2-year-old fillies.
Believable, away slowly, rallied from last to get second by three-quarters of a length over Secane, the 6-5 favorite. Day to Day and Spa Prospector completed the order of finish.
"It's satisfying knowing you're there with them every day," said Jerkens, the son of the Hall of Fame trainer H. Allen Jerkens. "I did a lot of years [as an assistant] for my father, I'm used to being in the back a little bit, a lot of my life. It's satisfying they trust you with them. It's a good feeling."
Jerkens started working for McPeek after he returned from a two-year stint training on his own in Saudi Arabia. That followed a lengthy career training on his own in the U.S.
Shilling continued a run of success that McPeek has had with 2-year-olds in New York. Jerkens loved Shilling when she debuted here on Sept. 20, but she was outfooted, took a lot of dirt in her face, gave up the final sixteenth, and was beaten 7 3/4 lengths.
Less than four weeks later, Shilling was put on the lead by Elliott and scored a neck victory over Saratoga Party, who finished seven lengths ahead of the rest of the field.
Thursday, Elliott thought he'd be sitting third behind Secane and Believable. Secane broke on top, but Believable was taken back. Elliott put Shilling in the race and made the lead through an opening quarter in 23.18 seconds. It got even better when she was still in front after a half-mile in 47.30 seconds.
"I was really happy to see that 24-second second quarter," Jerkens said. "I thought she'd be real tough from there on."
She was. Secane, under Edgard Zayas, tried to make a run at Shilling at the five-sixteenths pole, but Shilling turned her away. Though she was swishing her tail coming through the lane, Shilling was a relatively easy winner.
Shilling, a daughter of Global Campaign owned by Fern Circle Stable, covered the mile in 1:38.45 and returned $16.58 as the fourth choice in the field of five.
"I originally thought [Secane and Believable] were going to hook up and I'd be right behind them," Elliott said. "But the gates opened and it was me and [Secane] and my filly was doing it easy so I let her do her thing. She gave me a little breather and I had a lot of horse. I knew she had more in the tank."
Jerkens said he would talk to McPeek about possibly running in the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle going 1 1/8 miles here on Dec. 6.
"I guess you have to talk about it," Jerkens said. "When I was training on my own, I won just about every stake in New York you could win and a couple of them many times over, but I never had any luck in that race."
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