Exaggerator, Sunny Ridge head 13 pre-entries for Delta Jackpot

Saratoga Special winner Exaggerator and Champagne Stakes runner-up Sunny Ridge were among 13 horses pre-entered Tuesday in the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot. The 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds will be run on a special afternoon program Nov. 21.

The Jackpot card includes the Grade 3, $400,000 Delta Downs Princess for 2-year-old fillies. There are 10 pre-entries to that one-mile race, led by La Appassionata. Final entries for both stakes will be taken Monday.

The Jackpot will be limited to 10 starters on the six-furlong track at Delta. Forevamo, who won his maiden in the local prep, the $200,000 Jean Lafitte, has first preference into the Jackpot, followed by horses who have finished first, second, or third in Grade 1 or Grade 2 races, which covers Exaggerator, trained by Keith Desormeaux, and Sunny Ridge, trained by Jason Servis.

Placings in all graded races is third on the Jackpot preference list, locking up a spot in the gate for Siding Spring, who was third in the Grade 3 Bourbon at Keeneland for trainer Mark Casse. Last on the preference list is lifetime earnings, and Found Money ranks third in that category among pre-entrants behind Exaggerator and Sunny Ridge.

Found Money, who has banked $179,100, won the Santa Anita Juvenile for trainer Doug O’Neill. The remaining pre-entrants are Rare Candy, fourth in the Grade 1 FrontRunner for trainer David Hofmans; Harlan Punch, Memories of Winter, Texas Jambalaya, Whitmore, Roman’s Chance, Iron Dome, and Cowboy Classic.

Exaggerator and Siding Spring both exit the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

The Jackpot is worth $600,000 to the winner as the richest race at Delta. The first four finishers will earn Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a scale of 10-4-2-1. The same scale of points for Kentucky Oaks preference will go to the first four finishers in the Princess.

La Appassionata was a seven-length winner of the local Princess prep, the My Trusty Cat, for trainer Steve Asmussen. Others pre-entered were Above Fashion, Twirl Girl, Shesthewinner, Jet Black Magic, Dorodansa, Angelita, Charlie’s Pal, Edeline, and Learning Curve.

Delta will put on a card of eight stakes worth a total of $2.3 million on Jackpot Day, which starts at 1:15 p.m. Central.

◗ Delta drew some new faces for its rescheduled $100,000 Gold Cup, which was moved to Saturday night after heavy rains forced its cancellation Oct. 31. The field of Louisiana-breds now includes One King’s Man, the winner of the $200,000 Premier Night Championship in February at Delta.