Line Judge likely for Delta Downs Jackpot

Line Judge, who won the $200,000 Jean Lafitte on Saturday night at Delta Downs, will now target the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot on Nov. 19, trainer Joe Sharp said Monday.

Line Judge won his third straight race and his first around two turns in the Jean Lafitte. He had won back-to-back races at Canterbury Park prior to the Jean Lafitte. Sharp said Line Judge will now remain in Louisiana and will ship from Fair Grounds back to Vinton, La., for the Jackpot. Line Judge earned a 77 Beyer Speed Figure for his Jean Lafitte win. He was prominent throughout for a 3 3/4-length victory over Tip Tap Tapizar.

“He’s a horse that had shown us signs he would stretch out, but he hadn’t been beyond 5 1/2 [furlongs],” Sharp said. “Going into the first turn, I could tell he was very relaxed, which was what we were looking for. He basically looked very well within himself the entire race.”

The Jean Lafitte was Line Judge’s first start since Aug. 27, when he won an overnight stakes at Canterbury. Sharp said the horse had run three races close together in Minnesota, so the decision was made to give him a nice amount of time between starts heading into the Jean Lafitte.

C.J. McMahon has the mount in the Jackpot for owners Barry and Joni Butzow.

Tip Tap Tapizar, who rallied for second in the Jean Lafitte off a win in the one-mile Sapling at Monmouth Park, is possible for the Jackpot, said trainer Steve Asmussen.