Jackie's Warrior stays perfect in Champagne Stakes romp
ELMONT, N.Y. – In a virtual replay of last month’s Grade 1 Hopeful, Jackie’s Warrior jumped from the gate running and led the field on a merry chase, winning Saturday’s Grade 1, $250,000 Champagne Stakes by 5 1/2 lengths at Belmont Park.
As was the case in the Hopeful, Reinvestment Risk finished second. This time he was 8 3/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Midnight Bourbon. Civil War, Run Casper Run, and Ambivalent completed the order of finish.
Jackie’s Warrior improved his record to 4 for 4 and earned a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 7 at Keeneland. In that race, he will attempt two turns and 1 1/16 miles for the first time while meeting Essential Quality, the impressive winner of the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.
“I think he’s a very smart horse, you can do pretty much what you want with him,” said Joel Rosario, who has ridden Jackie’s Warrior in his last three starts. “He’s just fast, you ask him to go forward and he just does it for you.”
Rosario said he asked Jackie’s Warrior a little leaving the gate and in the blink of an eye he was two lengths in front. Jackie’s Warrior ran a quarter in 23.12 seconds, a half-mile in 46.54, and six furlongs in 1:10.68. Already several paths off the rail, Rosario moved Jackie’s Warrior a path or two farther out in the lane to make Reinvestment Risk, under Irad Ortiz Jr, either have to go wide or cut inside.
It didn’t matter much as Reinvestment Risk had little left in the final furlong to make a serious run at Jackie’s Warrior.
Jackie’s Warrior, a son of Maclean’s Music owned by Kirk and Judy Robison and trained by Steve Asmussen, covered the mile in 1:35.42 and paid $3.70 as the odds-on favorite.
Asmussen, who watched the race from Kentucky, said the performance was what “we were hoping for.
“He looked very comfortable at a mile,” Asmussen added. “That was strong today. He looked great in the paddock, acted wonderful, and went from the gate to the wire faster than the rest of them.”
Asmussen said Jackie’s Warrior will van to Keeneland on Monday to prepare for the Juvenile.