14 Pre-Entered for Delta Downs Jackpot
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The Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino racing office has received 14 pre-entries to this year's $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot (gr. III), which will be renewed for the 11th time Nov. 23.
The Jackpot day program will feature a special post time of 1:15 p.m. CST and will include eight stakes races and more than $2.2 million in total purse money.
Doug O'Neill, who won last year's Jackpot with eventual Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) victor Goldencents, has pre-entered Rum Point. Todd Pletcher, who has three classic victories to his credit, has nominated Intense Holiday, and Belmont Stakes (gr. I)-winning trainer Tim Ice has pre-entered Mighty Brown.
Rum Point is owned by Reddam Racing, which also campaigned Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner I'll Have Another . Rum Point broke his maiden at Del Mar Aug. 3 before making three consecutive grade I appearances in the Del Mar Futurity, Dixiana Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park. His best finish in that set of races was a fourth-place effort to We Miss Artie in the Breeders' Futurity.
Intense Holiday broke his maiden at Monmouth Park in July before finishing fifth to eventual Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) runner-up Havana in the Oct. 5 Foxwoods Champagne (gr. I) at Belmont Park. In his most recent race he finished fourth in the Nashua (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Mighty Brown comes into the Jackpot off a runner-up effort to fellow pre-entrant Rise Up in the Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs Oct. 26. The Jean Lafitte is the major local prep for the Jackpot and the winner gets an automatic berth into the race. Rise Up is conditioned by Tom Amoss and will most likely be ridden by Gerard Melancon, who rode Sabercat to victory in the 2011 Jackpot.
Among the other trainers who pre-entered horses include Mark Casse, who could win his second Jackpot with Coastline, who scored in the Oct. 27 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs; Mario Morales, who may send this year's Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Casiguapo to Vinton; and Katerina Vassilieva, who will attempt to become the first female trainer to win the Jackpot with Grey Stakes (Can-III) runner-up Big Bazinga.
Other Jackpot pre-entrants include Best Plan Yet, Yes I'm Lucky, Whyruawesome, Final Step, Rankhasprivileges, Roman Unbridled, and Flat Gone.
Final entries and post positions for this year's Jackpot will be drawn Nov. 19. First preference for the race will be given to Rise Up.
After that, preference will be given to those horses that have finished first, second, or third in a grade I or grade II race, then preference goes to those horses that have finished in the money in any graded stakes. The final determinant to get into the field will be lifetime earnings at the time of pre-entries closing.
For the second year, the Jackpot is part of the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series, which includes 34 stakes leading up to the May 3 Derby. The top four finishers in this year's Jackpot will be awarded points on a 10-4-2-1 scale toward a possible starting position in the first leg of the 2014 Triple Crown.