Champion Jackie's Warrior to Return in Count Fleet

Champion male sprinter Jackie's Warrior  is scheduled to make his 2022 debut in the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) April 16 at Oaklawn Park.

J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior will be making his first start since a sixth-place finish as the favorite in the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Despite that rare off-the-board finish, the son of Maclean's Music   did enough in 2021 to earn champion honors behind four stakes wins, including a narrow victory over Life Is Good  in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

While Jackie's Warrior is a veteran of a dozen races, in his 4-year-old debut Saturday he will receive race-day Lasix for the first time ahead of the six-furlong test for older horses. As the highweight, Jackie's Warrior is scheduled to carry 123 pounds, spotting rivals two-to-eight pounds.

"Steve (trainer Asmussen) wanted a good spot that (Jackie's Warrior) thought he would be effective in," Robison said. "It's a good race, it's a lot of money, and not a very big field. He's been working really well. He had a couple of bullets, maybe three. And he did have the knee chip taken out after the Breeders' Cup, but the vets say it's a perfect result, so we don't have any excuses. We're ready to go."

Jackie's Warrior returned to the work tab Feb. 27 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and had six subsequent published breezes leading up to the Count Fleet. His last two works were at Oaklawn, notably a five-furlong bullet drill in :59.40 from the gate April 3.

Jackie's Warrior previously has raced one time at Oaklawn, a third-place finish in last year's Southwest Stakes (G3). After that race, Jackie's Warrior was taken off the Triple Crown trail and was pointed to one-turn races for the rest of the season. That decision paid off. Besides his victory in the Jerkens Memorial, Jackie's Warrior won a trio of grade 2 races last year: the Pat Day Mile Stakes Presented by LG&E and KU, the Amsterdam Stakes, and the Gallant Bob Stakes.

"If he comes back and runs pretty well on Saturday, he could come right back for that sprint on the undercard on Derby Day at Churchill," Robison said. "But long term, I want to win the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) next November. That's a long way away, but you've got to start somewhere."

While just six horses have entered for Saturday, Jackie's Warrior will have to contend with several rivals in top form as four of the runners enter off victories, including three who earned those wins in March.

Prominent among that group is Bob's Edge , who already has won a pair of stakes at the six-furlong distance during the current meet. Racing for owners Michael and Patricia Freeny and Jennifer Grayson Taylor, Bob's Edge won the King Cotton Stakes in January ahead of a clear victory in the Whitmore Stakes (G3) March 19. In that most recent score, the 4-year-old son of Competitive Edge   rallied from ninth.

Also entered Saturday off of March victories are Mojo Man , who won an allowance level race at six furlongs March 25 and Letsgetlucky  who ships in from Southern California after winning a six-furlong allowance level race March 7 on the Santa Anita Park turf.

Rounding out the field are Empire of Gold , who will be making his first start since winning an allowance race in October at Remington Park, and steady veteran Chipofftheoldblock , who has an 8-6-3 record from 28 starts.

Asmussen could add to a special day with a victory. Throughout the day Oaklawn plans winner's circle presentations to honor members of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Asmussen, who was inducted in 2016, is one of the expected guests of honor along with Bill Boland, Calvin Borel, Ramon Dominguez, Earlie Fires, Sandy Hawley, Chris McCarron, Bill Mott, Don Pierce, Laffit Pincay Jr., Edgar Prado, Jose Santos, Gary Stevens, and Nick Zito. 

Entries: Count Fleet Sprint H. (G3)

Oaklawn Park, Saturday, April 16, 2022, Race 11

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 5:42 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Mojo Man (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	116	James P. DiVito	8/1
2	2Chipofftheoldblock (IN)	Jon Kenton Court	115	Michael E. Lauer	8/1
3	3Letsgetlucky (CA)	Martin Garcia	115	Brian J. Koriner	6/1
4	4Empire of Gold (KY)	Richard E. Eramia	116	Terry Eoff	6/1
5	5Jackie's Warrior (KY)	Joel Rosario	123	Steven M. Asmussen	6/5
6	6Bob's Edge (KY)	Luis S. Quinonez	121	J. Larry Jones	2/1