Jerkens takes two shots at 8th Bed o' Roses win

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It will be the reigning Bed o' Roses champion mare against the dominant Bed o' Roses trainer when Magnolia Jackson takes on a pair of fillies from Allen Jerkens's stable in Saturday's 51st renewal of the Grade 2 stakes.

Magnolia Jackson denied Jerkens his eighth Bed o' Roses victory last year when she held off a late run from Grecian Lover to win the $150,000 stakes race by a neck. But the two fillies Jerkens sends out against Magnolia Jackson on Saturday are much more accomplished than Grecian Lover.

Jerkens has entered both Any Limit and Swap Fliparoo in the Bed o' Roses. Any Limit, who won the Hurricane Bertie and First Lady handicaps at Gulfstream this winter, looks like the main speed of the race. Swap Fliparoo, last year's Test winner, possesses the best late run of the five horses entered in the seven-furlong stakes.

Any Limit is coming off a one-length loss to Sweet Fervor in the Shirley Jones Breeders' Cup last month, a race in which Any Limit was part of a hot early pace.

"She was gunned down by a pretty good horse, especially after going pretty quick the first part of it," Jerkens said. "They can rate her if they want. She got left one day and she won."

Any Limit got left in the First Lady Handicap, rushing up between horses after breaking last. In the Hurricane Bertie, Any Limit found herself alone in front around the far turn, then repelled a challenge from My Lucky Free in the lane.

Any Limit will break from post 4 under Rafael Bejarano.

Jerkens entered Swap Fliparoo in the Bed o' Roses when it came up a small field. But if Any Limit and Magnolia Jackson get hooked up in an early duel, Swap Fliparoo could run them down under Eibar Coa.

Magnolia Jackson will try to rebound off a fifth-place finish in the Distaff Breeders' Cup Handicap. Trainer Gary Contessa and jockey Ramon Dominguez discussed coming from off the pace in the Distaff, and Dominguez took her back after a sharp break. But Contessa, after seeing how sharply Magnolia Jackson broke, believes Dominguez should have gone for the lead. Alan Garcia rides Magnolia Jackson on Saturday.

Carmandia is an upset candidate based on her victory in the Grade 2 First Flight Handicap here on Nov. 4. She came back in 20 days and finished a bad fifth in the Top Flight Handicap. In her only start this year, Carmandia finished fourth in the Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel. Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. believes Carmandia may have been too close to the pace last time.