Undefeated Jackie's Warrior will have to be caught in Champagne

ELMONT, N.Y. – It remains to be seen how far the unbeaten Jackie’s Warrior will ultimately be able to carry his speed. Thus far, it’s carried him to victory in three one-turn races, including the Grade 1 Hopeful last month at Saratoga.

Saturday, while stretching out another furlong for the third straight race, Jackie’s Warrior’s speed should remain an advantage when he meets Reinvestment Risk and four others in the Grade 1, $250,000 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park.

The Champagne, a Win and You’re In race for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland next month, is run as a one-turn mile. That, plus this race being one week later than the Breeders’ Futurity, a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race run last weekend at Keeneland, is why trainer Steve Asmussen chose to run Jackie’s Warrior in the Champagne.

“I think it’s the natural progression,” said Asmussen, who trains Jackie’s Warrior for Kirk and Judy Robison. “The timing with him running so fast on Labor Day is good.”

On Labor Day in the Hopeful, Jackie’s Warrior ran seven furlongs in 1:21.29, beating Reinvestment Risk by 2 1/4 lengths. He earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

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Asmussen will worry about how Jackie’s Warrior will handle the Breeders’ Cup configuration of 1 1/16 miles and two turns next month.

“What is quite obvious is how fast he is,” Asmussen said. “When you’re that fast, how far you can carry it is the question. He is a very mature horse mentally, meaning I think he handles nicely. But his asset is his speed and this is going to be a very good test for him on a surface he’s never run on.”

Jackie’s Warrior will break from post 4 under Joel Rosario.

Right next to him will be Reinvestment Risk, a son of Upstart trained by Chad Brown, who won his debut by 7 3/4 lengths on Aug. 1. The bettors sent him off favored in the Hopeful, but he had to settle for second, while finishing 10 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Mutsaabeq. That horse came back to win the Grade 2 Bourbon on turf last Sunday at Keeneland.

Brown said he is hopeful, but not overly confident, one additional furlong will allow Reinvestment Risk to turn the tables on Jackie’s Warrior. But he is looking forward to running him in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

“It looked like we were gaining on him towards the wire,” Brown said of the Hopeful. “If one mile’s enough room or not to get him this time, it remains to be seen. But I’m very confident my horse won’t have any trouble running a mile or a little further than that.”

Asmussen will also send out Midnight Bourbon, who comes off a second in the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5.

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Ambivalent, a maiden who ran third in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf, Run Casper Run, and Civil War complete the field.

The Champagne will go as race 4 on a card that begins at 12:20 p.m.