Jerkens adds to streak with Can You Diggit in Evan Shipman

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – And the beat goes on. At least it does for red-hot trainer Jimmy Jerkens, who sent out his fifth consecutive winner and second of the day when Can You Diggit finished full of run down the center of the track to best Pat On the Back by a neck in Monday’s $100,000 Evan Shipman at Saratoga.

Jerkens began the meet with a dozen consecutive losses including Delta Prince’s frustrating second-place finish in the Grade 1 Fourstardave before finally breaking through with Securitiz in a $32,000 claiming race last Friday. He then followed with victories from Adulator, the promising 3-year-old Timber Ghost, and Point to Remember, who registered a popular maiden win earlier on Monday’s card.

With Junior Alvarado aboard, Can You Diggit rated off the hotly contested early pace set by Control Group and Wine Not while saving ground for the opening six furlongs of the 1 1/8-mile Evan Shipman. Can You Diggit angled out to the middle of the track at the top of the stretch before finishing best of all to run down Pat On the Back. The latter broke a step slow, recovered to race within easy striking distance of the leaders, remained wide challenging for command down the stretch, took a short lead between calls inside the sixteenth pole, but could not resist the winner at the end. Control Group won the early duel with Wine Not before succumbing grudgingly nearest the inside through the final furlong.

Twisted Tom, the 8-5 favorite in a scratch-reduced field of only five New York-breds, trailed throughout and was never a factor.

Can You Diggit completed the distance in 1:49.93 over a fast track and returned $14.

“This horse had been knocking at the door and really deserved a win,” said Jerkens. “Because of his running style he’s usually losing a lot of ground when he puts his move in, and it tells on him a little bit. I thought if the pace was honest and he was able to save some ground, he could do it with the smaller field. He’d come and get them. And Junior did a great job, getting him to swap his lead in the stretch and then he had another little gear after that.”

Jerkens said it was especially nice to win the race for Can You Diggit’s owner-breeders Mary and Chester Broman Sr.

“He’s been in the game so long, he’s just been terrific,” said Jerkens, referring to Chester Broman. “Owners like that are just a dream to train for and whenever you can win for them it’s an extra bonus.”

Jerkens said racing is a game of streaks, both good and bad.

“We had horses that ran decent races early in the meet,” said Jerkens. “Especially [Delta Prince] in the Fourstardave, he ran terrific, kind of a winning race. We weren’t losing faith, but it gets frustrating, though. Unless you’ve got 700 horses, you’re going to go through a little bad streak. So a winning streak like the one we’re on now, it’s great.”