Courvoisier Sails in the Slop in Jerome Stakes

Considering how much uncertainty is already woven into a Jan. 1 stakes for 3-year-olds, a wet day at Aqueduct Racetrack only complicated matters in the $150,000 Jerome Stakes.

Aside from having to navigate a one-turn mile in search of qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), the eight newly turned 3-year-olds had to cope with a sloppy sealed racetrack.

With only one of the starters owning experience on a muddy or sloppy track, that obscured the race with a horde of question marks to complement the vision-blocking fog on an unusually warm day in the Big Apple.

While that experienced mud runner, Unbridled Bomber , wound up fourth and 7-5 favorite Cooke Creek  lacked a strong rally in the stretch and finished third, it was the regally bred son of Tapit  , Courvoisier , who thrived in the messy conditions.

A $600,000 graduate at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and a BloodHorse Maiden Watch honoree, Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and James Spry's Courvoisier took charge in the final furlong and recorded a 1 1/4-length victory in the 152nd edition of the historic Jerome.

"We didn't know how he would handle the slop. Some Tapits run well on mud and grass. He's been training well so we were hoping we were in the right place at the right time," said trainer Kelly Breen, whose colt picked up 10 Kentucky Derby points. "We were going to skip this race and go to the Withers (G3, Feb. 5 at Aqueduct) because it's a two-turn race. It was a last-minute decision to run in the Jerome and we were fortunate enough to pick up (jockey) Jose Ortiz. It could not have been documented any better. Now the Withers will be next. He's 2-for-2 at Aqueduct. It makes sense."

Bred by Elevage II and Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Courvoisier was born to high expectations as he's out of the champion Take Charge Brandi . After Hill 'n' Dale retained its ownership through his purchase as a weanling, Courvoisier went unsold as part of Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency's consignment to the 2020 September Yearling Sale at Keeneland when bidding halted at $275,000.

So it was off to the races with Spry as co-owner, and Courvoisier was green in his three starts, finishing second twice and third once. But that all changed when Breen ran him in a Dec. 2 two-turn 1 1/8-mile maiden race at the Big A, and Courvoisier quickly matured into a determined neck winner.

"He's still green. He has a lot of talent. He's been green around the barn and at the races and hopefully he puts his mind together. He'll have to step up in every race after this, but judging by the way he's been training, I think he can do it," Breen said. "This was his most professional start. He's had his game face on ever since he won his first race. Hopefully the light bulb went on and he's turning into a racehorse."

Courvoisier is the third of five foals and first winner for his champion dam, whose recent offspring also include Justly , a 2-year-old Justify   filly, and a yearling Quality Road   filly.

Hagler  set the early pace in the Jerome, leading by a half-length over Courvoisier after a half-mile in a quick :45.78. When Hagler, the 3-1 second choice, started to fade in the stretch, Courvoisier surged past and grabbed a half-length lead at the eighth pole and extended it in the final furlong.

"He's a fighter," said John Attfield, Breen's New York-based assistant who saddled the 4-1 third choice. "You put him in a dogfight and he'll win the dogfight."

Final time for the mile was 1:38.86. Courvoisier paid $10 to win.

"I was a little bit concerned," Ortiz said. "Personally, I'm not a fan of stretching to a mile and an eighth and cutting back to a mile, but he's sharp. He's got tactical speed—which helps him—and I think those kinds of horses you can play around with them. He's the right kind of horse to do it and he did it successfully, so kudos to Kelly and the team."

While Courvoisier picked up his initial 10 Derby points, the second through fourth finishers divided seven points.

Happy Tenth Stable's Smarten Up , a son of American Freedom   trained by Alfredo Velazquez, rallied from last to take second and collect four points.

Cheyenne Stable Cooke Creek settled for third, three-quarters-of-a-length behind, and pocketed two points.

"Without a doubt the track worked against him. It was a speed-favoring track and we had to take him out of his comfort zone and keep him closer to the pace," his trainer, Jeremiah O'Dwyer, said about the favored son of Uncle Mo  . "He was late switching leads and different things like that. I was a little concerned about him on the track that it might not suit him, but they all had to run on it. We'll try the Withers next."

Unbridled Bomber was fourth and netted one qualifying point.

Video: Jerome S. (BT)