Golden Actor Set to Star in Loaded Delta Downs Jackpot Field

Golden Actor, above winning the Jean Lafitte Stakes, is a leading contender for the $1-million Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes on Saturday. (Photo by Coady Photography)
By Ellis Starr – National Racing Analyst for Equibase
The 12th running of the Grade 3, $1-million Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes is loaded with talented 2-year-olds hoping to make their mark in the division and put their names on the list as horses to watch when the serious Road to the Kentucky Derby action begins next year.
Leading the full field of 10, plus two also-eligible entrants, is Golden Actor, winner of the Jean Lafitte Stakes, the local prep for the Jackpot. Conquest Tsunami, with five wins in six career starts, including the Street Sense Stakes last month, is another strong contender. Prime Engine is unbeaten in two races, including the Gottstein Futurity. Wake Up Nick is another with five wins in six races, including four stakes victories. Ocho Ocho Ocho won the Juvenile Turf Sprint Stakes, run on dirt last month due to rain, in only his second start and is another improving type. Zuma Beach Stakes runner-up Red Button and Bertram F. Bongard Stakes winner Saratoga Heater are two more that could be contenders. Last but not least, Mr. Z comes from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and, although fifth when last seen in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, his runner-up effort in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity if repeated gives him a shot at success as well.
Golden Actor attempts to pull off the Jean Lafitte Stakes-Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes double just as Rise Up did last year and as Rule did in 2009. After missing by less than a length in his career debut on Oct. 4, Golden Actor returned nine days later to win at a mile around one turn at Gulfstream Park in Florida. Just 12 days after that, Golden Actor shipped into Louisiana to win the Jean Lafitte easily by four lengths with a career-best 90 Equibase Speed Figure. With experience on the track, more improvement expected in his fourth career start and with a pair of superb half-mile workouts coming into the race, Golden Actor is the one to beat in this year’s Jackpot.
Prime Engine is a perfect 2-for-2 in his career. In both races, he won by open lengths at Emerald Downs in the state of Washington. Showing tremendous speed in his Sept. 13 debut, Prime Engine earned a very strong 96 Equibase Speed Figure. In his second career start on Sept. 28, Prime Engine won the Gottstein Futurity in “ridden out” fashion, akin to having a full tank of gas left even after running and winning at the same 1 1/16-mile distance of the Delta Jackpot. Now in the barn of Jerry Hollendorfer and with the world’s winningest jockey, Russell Baze (12,419 wins as of last weekend) in the saddle, Prime Engine gets the ground-saving rail. He also put in a strong half-mile workout before leaving Southern California to demonstrate he’s in tip-top shape. It must also be noted Prime Engine was entered in the Bob Hope Stakes last weekend at Del Mar but scratched to run in this spot.
Red Button could run much better than his high odds will suggest as he is one of just a few with positive experience around two turns. Adding blinkers for his last start, Red Button finished second of 10 in the Zuma Beach Stakes on turf, earning a career-best 92 Equibase Speed Figure. In the Zuma Beach, Red Button rallied to get to within a half-length of the lead with an eighth of a mile to go, but then jockey Tyler Baze dropped the whip and he made no further progress while finishing second. Having finished second in his only previous dirt start, there’s little doubt Red Button can be a factor in this situation with a repeat effort.
Conquest Tsunami probably is the one that all the rest have to catch to win, as he has led from the start in his last five races. In his only two-turn try, Conquest Tsunami faded to sixth in the Breeders’ Futurity. However, he followed that effort with a wire-to-wire win in the Street Sense Stakes last month with a strong 93 speed figure and as such there’s a chance from his inside post he could control the tempo from start to finish in the same manner as Rise Up did while winning the Jackpot last year.
The rest of the field (with their best representative speed figure): Dekabrist (68), Far Right (88), Mr. Z (93), Ocho Ocho Ocho (98), Two Six Wins (83), Saratoga Heater (86), Unblunted (87) and Wake Up Nick (93).
My Selections:
Golden Actor
Prime Engine
Red Button
Conquest Tsunami 
$1-million Delta Downs Jackpot StakesSaturday, November 22, Delta Downs, 5:15 p.m. ET1 1/16 mile, dirt, 2-year-olds

Post

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Morning Line

1

Prime Engine

Russell Baze

Jerry Hollendorfer

8-1

2

Dekabrist

Jesus M. Rios

Gennadi Dorochenko

30-1

3

Mr. Z

Paco Lopez 

D. Wayne Lukas

5-2

4

Conquest Tsunami

Shaun Bridgmohan

Mark Casse

4-1

5

Saratoga Heater

Joel Rosario

Al Stall Jr.

15-1

6

Golden Actor

Jose Antonio Gallego

Ignacio Roncancio

7-2

7

Red Button

Tyler Baze

Mark Glatt

12-1

8

Wake Up Nick

Mario Gutierrez

Leandro Mora

10-1

9

Far Right

Corey Lanerie

Ron Moquett

10-1

10

Ocho Ocho Ocho

Mike Smith

James Cassidy

6-1

11

Unblunted

Joe Talamo

Michael W. McCarthy

15-1

12

Two Six Wins

Martin Pedroza

Michael Pender

20-1

Note: Unblunted and Two Six Wins are on the also-eligible list, which means the field is capped at 10 runners and they would need a defection or two to make the field.