Jackie's Warrior Seeks Third Grade 1 in Woody Stephens

The lone grade 1 winner in the six-horse field, Jackie's Warrior  will break from post 3 as the 7-5 favorite in the June 5 $400,000 Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (G1) at Belmont Park.

The bay colt is returning to the site of his second grade 1 win, the one-mile Champagne Stakes last October.

A $95,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Jackie's Warrior has earned nearly $900,000 in a seven-race career, with a record of five wins and a third. Owned by J. Kirk and Judy Robison, the 3-year-old is by Maclean's Music   and out of Unicorn Girl (A. P. Five Hundred) and was bred by J & J Stables.

The Steve Asmussen trainee began his career with four straight wins, including the Saratoga Special Stakes Presented by Miller Lite (G2) and Runhappy Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Coming to the race off a head win in the Pat Day Mile Stakes Presented by LG&E and KU (G2) at Churchill Downs, he's cutting back to seven furlongs for the first time since the Hopeful and will be ridden by Joel Rosario, who's been in the saddle for all but the colt's first start.

Hoping to earn his first grade 1 after placing in three graded stakes races earlier this year, trainer and co-owner Peter Eurton's Dream Shake  will break just outside of Jackie's Warrior, potentially setting up an early tussle for the lead in a rematch of the Pat Day Mile, in which Dream Shake gave chase to pacesetting Jackie's Warrior, falling a head short to finish second. He'll try the seven-furlong distance for the first time.

Having earned her first career graded stakes win with Gam's Mission  in the Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs May 29, trainer Cherie DeVaux will hope to add more black type to her race record with longshot Tulane Tryst , owned by David Ingordo. A $310,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland, the son of Into Mischief was unraced as a 2-year-old and broke his maiden at six furlongs in March. The win came, appropriately enough given his name, at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, and his closing style may put him in position to take advantage of a pace meltdown.

"He didn't race at 2 because he's just big and he was immature," said DeVaux. "We've always held him in high regard; he seems to have a lot of talent and he's fast in the morning. When we saw how the race was shaping up, I figured that we could take a shot, given that there's going to be a lot of pace."

The promising Nova Rags  (Union Rags  ) finished second in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3), a traditional prep for the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in May, with trainer Bill Mott electing to run short rather than taking on the 12-furlong headline event. The Michael Shanley homebred has raised at four racetracks and under three jockeys, with Junior Alvarado retaining the mount here. Like the favorite, he owns both a win at the track and at the distance.  

Though Caddo River  was able to eke out a spot in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), a fever the week of the race kept him out of the race, making the Woody Stephens his first start since a runner-up finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1) April 10. Winless at seven furlongs, he'll break from the outside post 6 and, like Dream Shake and Jackie's Warrior, has done his best running on or close to the lead.

"We're hopeful that the cutback is the play here from the mile and an eighth," said trainer Brad Cox. "He's been freshened a little bit. He's been working steady over the past month, and hopefully, with a good trip, he can have a breakthrough performance and maybe pick off a grade 1. I think the shortening up will be good for him."

With five wins, two of them at this distance, and a second from seven starts, Drain the Clock  completes the field. A last-out winner in the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack, he's trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. from post 2.

"He'll have to run his career best, but we feel like he's sitting on his career best," said Joseph.

Entries: Woody Stephens S. Presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (G1)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 05, 2021, Race 3

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 12:47 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Nova Rags (KY)	Junior Alvarado	122	William I. Mott	8/1
2	2Drain the Clock (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	7/2
3	3Jackie's Warrior (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	Steven M. Asmussen	7/5
4	4Dream Shake (KY)	Flavien Prat	118	Peter Eurton	5/2
5	5Tulane Tryst (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Cherie DeVaux	20/1
6	6Caddo River (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Brad H. Cox	4/1