Jackie's Warrior hands Life Is Good first loss in H. Allen Jerkens

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In a race that more than lived up to the hype, Jackie’s Warrior outfooted the previously undefeated Life Is Good in the stretch to win the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens by a neck at Saratoga on Saturday.

It was 8 3/4 lengths back to Following Sea in third. Drain the Clock, Newbomb, and Judge N Jury completed the order of finish.

The win was the fourth in as many starts at Saratoga for Jackie’s Warrior, who a year ago won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and Grade 1 Hopeful. Earlier this meet, he won the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes.

In Life Is Good, however, Jackie’s Warrior was facing a potential superstar in his own right, a horse who was 3 for 3 and considered the top 3-year-old in the country before an ankle chip derailed him in March. The bettors sent Life Is Good off as the 4-5 favorite Saturday.

Life Is Good, making his first start since he won the Grade 2 San Felipe by eight lengths on March 6, jumped out of the gate Saturday under Mike Smith and opened up a two-length lead after running a half-mile in 44.16 seconds. Jackie’s Warrior, under Joel Rosario, was second.

In his five previous stakes victories, Jackie’s Warrior was in front at every point of call.

“He broke very well, but Life Is Good is really fast. I decided to stay there for a little bit and see what happens going to the turn,” Rosario said. “It looked like Mike was going to stay [outside], so I decided to stay inside.”

Jackie’s Warrior rallied to take a half-length lead at the eighth pole, but Life Is Good was battling back in the final furlong. In the end, however, Jackie’s Warrior outlasted him to the wire.

“Joel came into the stretch with horse,” said Asmussen, who watched the race on the apron near the top of the stretch. “He’s going to run from there to the wire. It’s out of your hands what the other horse does, but when he got to the head of the stretch in the condition he did you had your chance.”

Though Life Is Good had the outside draw - a good spot to possibly stalk the inside speed - Smith said his horse was very aggressive and took him to the front.

:: DRF's Saratoga headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more

“I would have liked to have geared him down a little bit more down the backside, but he was very aggressive,” Smith said. “Every movement you make he feels it, he responds to it. If you try to grab him, he pulls more and wants to get out so you got to be really sensitive with it. I thought he ran great for his first race back, I really did.”

Jackie’s Warrior, a son of Maclean’s Music owned by Kirk and Judy Robison, covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.39 and returned $5.10 as the second choice and getting a 107 Beyer Speed Figure. His final time was faster than that of the 4-year-old Yaupon, whom Asmussen sent out 35 minutes earlier to victory in the Grade 1 Forego.

“But he didn’t get bit,” Asmussen joked, noting that Yaupon was savaged by Forego runner-up Firenze Fire in the stretch.