Takaful to continue education in Jerome

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Takaful will be spending the holidays in New York.

Takaful, the impressive 2-year-old maiden winner who finished third as the favorite in the Remsen Stakes last weekend, is being pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Jerome Stakes, the first 3-year-old route stakes of the year on this circuit, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Friday. The Jerome, run over the inner track at a mile and 70 yards, will be run Monday, Jan. 2, and offers 17 qualifying points (10-4-2-1) to the top four finishers toward the May 6 Kentucky Derby.

“He needs racing, he’s still green,” McLaughlin said. “It was either that or the Mucho Macho Man Jan. 7 [at Gulfstream]. We’ll keep our options open because of weather, but if we can run here, we’d like to run here.”

Takaful, a son of Bernardini, was arguably the most impressive debut winner of the Belmont fall meet, winning by eight lengths and running 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.82. He earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure. He then stretched out to 1 1/8 miles in the Remsen, and after breaking awkwardly, he dragged Jose Ortiz to the lead before settling down a bit down the backstretch. He was overtaken in the stretch by Mo Town and No Dozing and ended up third, beaten six lengths.

The Jerome keeps Takaful racing around two turns, whereas the Mucho Macho Man is a one-turn mile at Gulfstream.

“From there, we can take him to Florida right after the race and see which way to go,” McLaughlin said.

The Jerome is the first of four stakes for 3-year-olds run at Aqueduct that offer qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. The other races are the Grade 3 Withers Stakes on Feb. 3, the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on March 3, and the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 8.