Irish Jasper Looks to Pass Next 'Test'

Irish Jasper (First Defence) has passed every test owner and trainer Derek Ryan has thrown at her with flying colors. Boasting six wins from nine starts, including two graded stakes victories, the sophomore will take her first stab at the highest level Saturday in Saratoga's GI Longines Test S. bearing the colors of new owners William Farish and David Mackie.

“Will Farish and his partner David Mackie approached me a week ago and we brokered a deal last Friday,” Ryan told the TDN Tuesday. “She will stay in the barn for the Test and after that I don't really know.”

“It's about time she got some colors,” the conditioner added with a laugh. “They are always complaining I use subs all the time, but I tell them they are my lucky colors.”

Those colors, or lack thereof, have certainly brought Ryan and Irish Jasper plenty of luck so far. The 48-year-old purchased the filly privately from Dominic Brennan after she was withdrawn from the OBS June sale, and she proved to be quite talented from the start.

“She worked in the June sale in :10.1,” the native of Tipperary, Ireland remarked. “Dominic got no action on her. I think he actually scratched her. I said, 'You know, go ahead and send her on up.' He sent her up in the middle of July. She worked very good from the very first work, so we figured we might as well cash a bet with her first time out.”

Irish Jasper made good on that early promise with an 8 1/2-length demolition of $25,000 maiden claimers in her Parx unveiling Oct. 28, and came flying late to be third by just a half-length in an Aqueduct starter allowance Nov. 20. Returning in a starter allowance at Parx just 10 days later, she crushed the field once again with a 5 1/2-length score and closed out her juvenile campaign with a win in Tampa's Gasparilla S. Dec. 27.

“I knew she was a stakes horse from day one, but we didn't pay a lot for her,” Ryan commented. “So we decided to take advantage and drop her in [for the tag] and hoped we would get away with it. Lucky enough we did.”

The trainer continued, “She won first time out and should have won second time, but spotted the field 15 lengths. In the beginning, she was having issues with the gate. Nothing major, but getting left a little bit. She won her third start and I took her to Florida and she won there too.”

Irish Jasper kicked off her sophomore campaign with her first attempt beyond seven furlongs in Tampa's one-mile and 40-yard Suncoast S. Jan. 31. Finishing a non-factor eighth to eventual GI Mother Goose S. winner Include Betty (Include) that day, the dark bay was cut back to five furlongs and switched to the turf for Pimlico's Stormy Blue S. Apr. 18, where she finished fourth to 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Shipman (Midshipman), whose most recent stakes victory came in Monday's Coronation Cup S. at Saratoga.

“I ran her in that route race and then I just backed off of her,” Ryan said. “There was nothing else really for sprinters in Tampa, but I really wanted her for the summer anyway. We shipped up north and on the way up we stopped at Pimlico where I had a couple of other horses entered. Actually, if you look closely at her turf race, it's way better than it actually looks. She was 20 lengths last turning for home and she only got beat six lengths to a filly who has [won several stakes] on the turf since.”

Ryan ran the filly back just eight days later in Aqueduct's Belle Harbor S., which she won impressively, and she has been unstoppable ever since. The 3-year-old overcame a troubled trip to capture the GIII Miss Preakness S. May 15, and soundly defeated 'TDN Rising Star' Enchanting Lady (Tale of the Cat) last time in Belmont's GIII Victory Ride S. July 4.

“If you look at her pedigree, there isn't a lot there,” Ryan remarked. “She is stepping up and stepping up. Her main aim since the spring has been the Test because it's seven-eights and that is her best distance. That was the main aim from day one. After she won the first one at Aqueduct, the Test was the plan. Hopefully it works out.”

While Ryan's 24-horse stable is based at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey, he has run and won at Saratoga before.

“I only run a horse there if they are good enough to win there,” he said. “Everyone wants to run there one day, but I don't believe in running unless you have a legit shot. I have four or five wins there. I don't run anything if they aren't competitive.”

Irish Jasper has given her conditioner every reason to believe she has a legitimate shot to provide him with his first Grade I win Saturday.

“She has beat everything she's had to beat,” Ryan commented. “This is the first Grade I that has come along, so it's not like she is really stepping up. It will be the same horses, except Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway). I'm sure Take Charge Brandi will be the favorite in there given her record, but besides her we have beaten everything else.”

Ryan has the utmost confidence that his filly can defeat the comebacking champion, who has not been seen since her victory in the Martha Washington S. at Oaklawn Jan. 31 after which a non-displaced bone chip was discovered in her right knee.

“If my filly runs her race, she'll be right there turning for home. [The Test] suits her, her style of running. She can be close or she can sit back if they are going crazy. Whatever Javier [Castellano] wants to do.”