By Alan Carasso
Hronis Racing's Jasikan (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}) has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in winning three of his five starts to date, the product of some bad habits in the stalls, and connections will certainly be hoping their charge gets off to a better start in Sunday's GIII LaJolla H. at Del Mar.
A maiden winner over the Dundalk all-weather in two starts for Mick Halford, the dark bay was last away and had to settle for third to pace-pressing Neptune's Storm ( in his stateside debut in the Apr. 28 Singletary S.. He gave his rivals another head start in a May 27 allowance, but overcame the sluggish beginning to prevail and pulled another rabbit out of the hat last time, just tagging Nolde (Pioneerof the Nile) on the wire after walking out of the gate in the restricted Runhappy Oceanside S. July 17.
An allowance winner at Santa Anita Apr. 4, Rijeka (Ire) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}) raced prominently in the Singletary before fading readily into seventh. Taken back further off the pace in the Oceanside, the chestnut was strung up in a bit of traffic while Jasikan and Nolde were making runs in the clear and stayed on well enough to be third. Quiet tactics could see him hitting the line hard Sunday as well.
Stubbins (Morning Line) narrowly annexed a pair of starts down the hillside turf course over the winter before walloping Neptune's Storm by eight lengths in a rained-off running of the Pasadena S. Mar. 2. Sixth to Plus Que Parfait (Point of Entry) in the G2 UAE Derby, he earned a field-best 90 Beyer for a third to GSW turf sprinter Eddie Haskell (Square Eddie) going five furlongs here July 24. He's a threat Sunday if able to avoid a duel up front with Neptune's Storm.
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