El Kabeir tunes up strongly for Jerome

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - El Kabeir completed preparations for his 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s Grade 3 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct by working a half-mile with a strong six-furlong gallop-out Sunday morning at Belmont Park.

Following a few morning showers and breezing after the second renovation break, El Kabeir breezed a half-mile in 48.46 seconds with a final quarter in 23.47. El Kabeir then proceeded to gallop out five furlongs in 1:00.92 and six furlongs in 1:13.03 under exercise rider Simon Harris.

“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 further he goes - the way we’ve been breezing him - the stronger he seems to get.”

Coming off a head victory in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29, El Kabeir, a son of Scat Daddy owned by Zayat Stables, will likely be favored in the $200,000 Jerome, a race run at a mile and 70 yards. The Jerome offers 17 (10-4-2-1) qualifying points to the top four finishers toward the May 2 Kentucky Derby.

:: ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays

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, winner of the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes; Mino Cosmo, a recent allowance winner at Parx for Graham Motion; Juan and Bina, 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.

On Sunday, at Belmont, Skill Not Luck worked five furlongs in 1:00.60, getting outworked a length by Readtheprospectus, a multiple stakes-winning New York-bred.

Also Sunday at Belmont, Ostrolenka worked four furlongs in 49 seconds in company with recent Queens County Stakes winner Micromanage.