After four career starts, and four impressive wins, undefeated Jack Christopher has earned a large number of awards.
“He was special,” said his trainer, four-time Eclipse winner, Chad Brown.
So special that on July 20, when four 1st graders won out of eight 3-year-olds participating in the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) program at Monmouth Parkthat’s Jack Christopher being settled at 3-2.
On July 23, on New Jersey’s biggest race day, he’ll face a field that also includes Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Taiba 7-5 light line favorite (track 2) who is coached by 9-time Haskell award winning coach Bob Baffert, Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Cyberknife (Lessons 1, 6-1), White Abarrio (post 6, 5-1), winner of the Florida Curlin Derby presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Ranch in Xalapa (G1), Howl time (Lessons 4, 10-1), Benevengo (Lesson 8, 20-1), Willard once (Lesson 3, 30-1), and King of Hollywood (Lessons 5, 30-1).
In the fixed odds that will be available at Monmouth, the initial prices for Jack Christopher and Taiba are quite different with Jack Christopher being even and Taiba being 5-2.
However, for all the excellence Jack Christopher will bring to the Jersey Shore for a 1/8-mile stake on Saturday, he’s exiting post 7 when faced with the kind of question Haskell’s favorite classic picture — or the person who started it — answered .
He scored his four starts by a superb combined margin of more than 25 lengths for his ownership group of Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud and Peter Brant, but the son of Munnings have never raced beyond a mile or participated in a two-turn race.
Jack Christopher may have the speed numbers to match candidates who have won against Haskell, such as American pharoah , Maximum security , Big brown Rachel Alexandra, and Point Given, but his lack of a road map added an element of drama to Haskell that is rarely, if ever, associated with race favorites.
In the case of the aforementioned former Haskell winners, they mastered two turns in a setting no less formidable than a Tier 1 stake or Triple Crown race.
Meanwhile, Jack Christopher will come out to perform on June 11 in the seven-card Woody Stephens Bet presented by Mohegan Sun (G1), which he won by 10 lengths in the 1:21.18 final. Thoro-graph took the pony out of Half of us mare Rushin No Blushin has a speed of minus 4 for his performance in Stephens. That matches the number it gives Flight route , the undefeated 4-year-old who topped both the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Top 10 poll and the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) poll. Jack Christopher was purchased by Bradley Weisbord and Liz Crow on behalf of Bakke and Isbister for $135,000 from Paramount Sales at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
However, that performance does not necessarily answer the question of how Jack Christopher will handle the challenge of going from seven tongs to nine? Will he dominate in about two turns like he was in sprints and miles in one turn?
Or will a talented horse with the body and pedigree of a sprinter/sprinter find Haskell’s ninth and final coat a shade well beyond his range?
The answer will be provided on Saturday, during a televised episode on CNBC (5-6 p.m. ET), though Brown believes Jack Christopher will handle the longer challenge while facing opponents. Classy player, most of them have enough speed to generate fast fractions and early speed pressure on him.
“I think this is the right time and place to do it,” said Brown, whose fleet has never been second-worst on any call from the opening quarter onwards in his four starts. . “It’s going to be a tough race with some real snake horses in it but I believe he can handle it.”
Even contacts trying to entice Jack Christopher know that the mystery of how the foal raised by Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate reacts to the second turn is key to the outcome.
Saffie Joseph Jr., who coaches White Abarrio, said: “Jack Christopher is clearly the fastest 3-year-old, but he’s already gone two turns and we’ll see what happens. “If he’s as good at two turns as he is at one, we’re all in trouble.”
Jack Christopher won the Champagne Stakes (G1) with a score of 2 in his second start but was later disqualified from the TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) when a shin problem was discovered. . Subsequent surgery to fit a screw into his left shin took him to the side long enough to knock him off the Triple Crown trail. Brown brought the flying pony back into the races by winning the Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU (G2) at the Kentucky Derby Day and Woody Stephens.
“We were scheduled to run two runs in the Breeders’ Cup last year, so it’s all about timing and here we are,” Brown said.
Taiba, Cyberknife and White Abarrio all ran in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) with little success.
Gold Square’s Cyberknife won the Arkansas Derby (G1) for coach Brad Cox but then lost in Run for the Roses when he chased at lightning speed and missed in 18.
The Gunman The foal bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey is back with a tipping win over Howling Time on June 12 Matt Winn Stakes in preparation for Haskell, which has special meaning to its owner Al Gold, who spent about five decades racing at Monmouth.
Cox said: “The Derby didn’t take him as long as I thought. He got through it in good shape and it involved a lot of galloping. That helped. very useful”. “He’s shown a leading figure in his career last time around, so he’s doing really well.”
Out of the Flower Alley’s Awesome Flower mare, he was purchased by Joe Hardoon, for $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase.
Zedan Racing Stable’s Taiba will reunite with Baffert in Haskell. Another son of Gun Runner, he rocked his debut on March 5 at Santa Anita . Park but was later transferred to coach Tim Yakteen’s cage when Baffert faced a 90-day suspension for Medina Spirit’s drug offences during the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Taiba won the Santa Anita Derby. for Yakteen but then finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby.
He returned to Baffert after ending his suspension earlier this month and has been training heavily for his first game in more than two months.
“I don’t think about records,” Baffert said, referring to his nine-game Haskell record. “I think about the really great horses we’ve sent there and I hope this guy is the same breed. He’s so talented and gentle but I feel like he’s doing a great job. well We still don’t know much about him because he came from a girl race to 1st grade and got thrown in the field 20 horses, so he is still learning We still don’t know the style what is his way of running.”
Raised by Bruce Ryan, Taiba was purchased by agent Gary Young for $1.7 million from the Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consignment at The Gulfstream Sale, 2-year-olds hand-picked by Fasig-Tipton in the batch. sell training.
La Milagrosa Stable’s C2 Racing Stable and White Abarrio took home wins at the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and the Florida Derby but came in a distant 16th in the May 7 Commission Run. There, he finished second for a long time in the Ohio Derby (G3).
The son of Race day rally from Thursday to win the 1/8 mile Florida Derby and could benefit the most if a speed fight occurs.
“It looks like there’s a lot of pace in the race and he can be tactical. He can fire if they go fast and close if they go slow,” said Joseph. “We’ll let the race develop and hope for the best.”
The White Abarrio was bred by Spendthrift Farm and sold to Carlos Perez for $40,000 from the Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds consignment at Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Selling 2-year-olds in training.
The howling hour of the Albaugh family barn (Not this time ) will be looking for his first wager win since taking part in Street Sense Stakes in October for coach Dale Romans.
Wasabi Ventures Stables’ Benevengo (Gormley ), coached by Jesus Cruz, won the June 24 allowance option claim at Monmouth after finishing fourth in the May 14 Long Branch at the New Jersey circuit.
One Time Willard and King of Hollywood are the last-minute participants who will be the permanent snapshots.
Barrister Breeding’s One Time Willard (Micro management ) will be entering an open bet for the first time, and there will be a third installment in the July 15th Monmouth subsidy options contest for New Jersey mixed-breeds.
Monmouth Stud and Pinnacle Racing’s King of Hollywood (Palace Malice ), a former athlete claims, ranked seventh in TVG.com Pegasus Stakes, Monmouth sub to Haskell.
The full list of open fixed odds from BetMakers are: Jack Christopher 1-1, Taiba 5-2, Cyberknife 6-1, White Abarrio 7-1, Benevengo 11-1, Howling Time 12-1, One Time Willard 100-1, and King of Hollywood 100-1.
