Jesus' Team counting on class to offset weight concession in handicap
The road back to the Breeders’ Cup begins in earnest for Jesus’ Team on Sunday at Gulfstream Park, when the runner-up in the 2020 Dirt Mile faces six rivals in a $60,000 overnight handicap at one mile.
Jesus’ Team rallied from midpack to finish second, 3 1/2 lengths behind wire-to-wire winner Knicks Go, as a 62-1 outsider in the Dirt Mile last fall at Keeneland, highlighting a stellar 3-year-old campaign that also included third-place finishes in the Preakness and Jim Dandy. Trained by Jose D’Angelo for Grupo 7C Racing Stable, Jesus’ Team finished second again behind Knicks Go in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational and sixth in the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup in his only two starts this season.
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“Besides the long flight from Dubai to the U.S., he had to truck from Chicago to Florida on the final leg and he lost some weight on the return trip home from the World Cup, so I gave him the necessary time off to recover,” D’Angelo said. “He’s coming up to this race sharp. I like the way he’s worked, I like the post position, and I’m confident he will win on Sunday. Although I think he’ll be even better after this race.”
Jesus’ Team, who breaks from post 5, was assigned high weight of 127 pounds, conceding as much as 12 pounds to his rivals. They include Noble Drama, the top Florida-bred handicap horse on the local circuit, and Sole Volante, who is seeking to regain his top form after finishing well back in both the 2020 Belmont and Kentucky Derby and in his two starts this year.
D’Angelo said carrying significant weight is nothing new for Jesus’ Team.
“The weight assignment is a heavy one, but he carried 126 in Dubai and the Preakness, and his regular rider weighs around 150 pounds when he trains,” D’Angelo said. “The difference between him and the enemy, the other horses in this race, is a lot, but I think he has the class to handle that.”
Samy Camacho has the mount on Jesus’ Team, the likely favorite.
D’Angelo said if all goes well, the next step for Jesus’ Team would be the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 7 at Saratoga.
Noble Drama won a similar one-mile overnight handicap by a head on May 22 at Gulfstream, rallying to edge Glory of Florida after a torrid stretch battle. The win was the eighth in 26 starts for the 6-year-old Noble Drama, who will be in receipt of five pounds from Jesus’ Team while breaking from the rail under regular rider Emisael Jaramillo.
Sole Volante has dropped his last five starts, since winning a high-priced optional-claiming race at a mile 13 months earlier. He finished last of four as the even-money favorite under allowance conditions June 19. Trainer Patrick Biancone will equip Sole Volante with blinkers for the first time Sunday.
I’m a G Six upset Sunday rivals Pro Quality and Sole Volante on June 19. He contested a rapid pace and registered a game two-length victory in that race, his first start since joining trainer Aubrey Maragh’s barn earlier in spring. Also in the field are Quenane and Highestdistinction.