Green Light Go earns a 101 Beyer; will be pointed to Carter

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Green Light Go, who earned a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure winning a third-level allowance race Thursday at Aqueduct, has the Grade 1 Carter in April as a likely target for the spring, trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Friday.

“Unless Life Is Good or one of those horses shows up,” Jerkens said.

Green Light Go won for the first time in 11 months on Thursday, stalking a contentious early pace before taking the lead at the half-mile pole and drawing away with ease under Dylan Davis. Green Light Go ran a mile in 1:35.19.

“Nice to see, that’s for sure,” Jerkens said. “I had a good feeling when the track got so fast that he’d like that.”

Jerkens trained Green Light Go as a 2-year-old when he won his first two races, including the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, and ran second to Tiz the Law in the Grade 1 Champagne. Jerkens took Green Light Go to Florida in the winter of his 3-year-old season and Jerkens said he had a difficult time keeping weight on the son of Hard Spun.

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When Jerkens brought the horse back north, Green Light Go suffered a crack of his splint bone and had to be laid up. The horse was then sent to Jerry Hollendorfer.

Jerkens got the horse back early in the fall and ran the horse in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight where he finished a closing second to Hopeful Treasure.

Though Green Light Go won at a mile Thursday, Jerkens believes seven furlongs may prove to be his optimum distance, which is why the Carter ranks high on his list.

Green Light Go would likely run at least once before then with races like the $250,000 General George at Laurel Park or the $125,000 Stymie here Feb. 26 as possible targets.