Jo Jo Air Upsets Bulletin in William Walker

The lone filly in a seven-horse field showed the boys how it was done April 27, opening night of the spring meet at Churchill Downs.

Disregarded at odds of 14-1, the Wesley Ward-trained Jo Jo Air upset 1-10 choice Bulletin and picked up her first black-type score in the William Walker Stakes on Saturday's Downs After Dark card.

While Bulletin broke like a shot from the gate as usual under regular rider Javier Castellano, John Velazquez and Jo Jo Air were just a few strides behind and quickly set up a hounding position just off the leader's outside flank.

Bulletin had the lead for a quarter in :22.76 and a half in :46.21 in the five-furlong test on firm turf, but Jo Jo Air took control midstretch and held off a late charge from Uncapped to win by three-quarters of a length. The final time was :58.86.

"We sort of sat the perfect trip all the way around there," Velazquez said. "Turning to the three-eighths pole, I started to make my move, and she really dug in and responded gamely."

Jo Jo Air, a daughter of Scat Daddy, returned $30.40, $8.80, and $10. Uncapped was followed home by Legends of War, three-quarters of a length back in third. Ward scratched Abyssinian, a Cairo Prince  filly who at entry time loomed as a threat to Bulletin. Instead, it was her stablemate who got the job done.

Bulletin, who was undefeated in three starts, including a score in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Churchill in the fall and an April 4 score in the Palisades Turf Sprint Stakes at Keeneland, finished another head back in fourth. 

"He was sort of flat the entire way around there," Castellano said of the Todd Pletcher trainee. "Maybe he ran back too quickly."

The victory was worth $75,950 and improved Jo Jo Air's earnings to $106,621, with two wins from five starts. It was her first start in several months, with her last effort a fourth in a five-furlong optional-claiming allowance race for 3-year-old fillies on the turf at Gulfstream Park.

Jo Jo Air was bred in Kentucky by G. Duignan, Crosshaven Bloodstock, Petaluma Bloodstock, and Circular Road Breeders out of the Grand Slam mare Tessie Flip—a half sister to two-time grade 1 winner Switch—from the family of French highweight Mukaddamah and champion Questing. After the winning Kitten's Joy  filly Paris Sunset, Jo Jo Air is the second foal out of the mare, who produced an Uncle Mo  filly in 2017 and an American Pharoah  colt in 2018. Tessie Flip was bred to Practical Joke  for 2019.

Racing resumes Tuesday at Churchill with a nine-race card that begins at 12:45 p.m. ET. Highlighting the program is the inaugural running of the $115,000 Champions Day Marathon Overnight Stakes Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.