El Kabeir tops nine likely for Jerome

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – El Kabeir, the winner of the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in his last start, heads a field of nine likely to run in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, the first of four races for 3-year-olds on this circuit that offer qualifying points to the May 2 Kentucky Derby.

El Kabeir completed preparations for the Jerome on Sunday, working a half-mile in 48.46 seconds, getting his final quarter in 23.47 under exercise rider Simon Harris. He then galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.92 and six furlongs in 1:13.03.

“We were just looking to go pretty easy,” trainer John Terranova said. “I said, ‘Let him gallop out a little bit if you go easy enough,’ and he kind of cruised through the bottom of the turn going out. The farther he goes – the way we’ve been breezing him – the stronger he seems to get.”

Hall of Fame jockey Calvin Borel will make his inner-track debut when he rides El Kabeir in the Jerome.

Among those expected to face El Kabeir are Nasa, the winner of the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes; Mini Cosmo, a recent allowance winner at Parx for Graham Motion; Juan and Bina, the runner-up to Mr. Jordan in the Smooth Air Stakes at Gulfstream Park West; Ostrolenka, the Sleepy Hollow Stakes winner; Ackeret; Cat Fiftyfive; Classy Class; and Skill Not Luck.