Jackie's Warrior

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - It's not your imagination that jockey Joel Rosario is having a big summer at Saratoga. Rosario, 37, is very much in the hunt for the overall title, a competition led by Irad Ortiz, Jr. Through Thursday's program, Ortiz had 37 wins, eight more than Rosario. However, in graded stakes races, Rosario is far and away the leader with 10 victories from 19 starts, a remarkable 53% win rate. Ortiz is next with five. With the 10, Rosario is in position to smash the current record of...

Shadwell's Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) remains the world's top-rated racehorse according to the most recent edition of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings which were published Thursday. The homebred colt, trained by William Haggas, has built on a perfect six-race 3-year-old campaign with a trio of additional victories on the trot this term, including the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury in May, the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot in June and a facile defeat of Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Qatar Sussex S....

To twist an old saying so it best describes rock-steady GII Jim Dandy S. winner Epicenter (Not This Time), "The more things stay the same, the more they change." This is annually the time of the season when we start hearing from trainers of Triple Crown contenders how markedly their sophomores have improved and matured over the past couple of months. So it was a bit of a surprise when Steve Asmussen told DRF.com last week that he hasn't seen much change in the colt who ran second as the...

Champion sprinter Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) made history in jaw-dropping fashion in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga Saturday, becoming the first horse to win Grade I races in three consecutive seasons at the upstate New York track. The exceptionally fast 1-5 favorite backed off after leading in the early stages and let 22-1 outsider Doc Amster (Midshipman) set the pace. Guided to the outside of that overmatched rival by Joel Rosario, the $95,000 KEESEP yearling graduate cruised up with devastating ease to hit the front approaching the...

Male sprinters take their shot at Grade I glory on both coasts Saturday with the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt S. at Saratoga and the GI Bing Crosby S. at Del Mar, which is a "Win and You're In" for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) is four-for-four at Saratoga and three-for-three this year. The GII True North S. romper is the heavy favorite at 1-5 on the morning-line against five quite overmatched foes. The next closest on the morning-line is 6-1 shot Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic),...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - Two standouts. Two high-profile graded stakes. Two different scenarios Saturday for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. In the Grade I portion of his afternoon at Saratoga Race Course, Asmussen will saddle champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), who just might go off as the shortest-priced favorite in the history of the $350,000 GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H., which has been run since 1985. One race later, in the $600,000 GII Jim Dandy S., Asmussen will send out Epicenter (Not This Time), runner-up as the favorite in...

Top sophomore colt Epicenter (Not This Time) and Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) highlighted the Saratoga worktab over the last few mornings as each prepares for big-race engagements July 30. Winchell Thorougbreds' GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. runner-up Epicenter makes his first start of the second half of the season in the GII Jim Dandy S. and went five furlongs over the Oklahoma training track Monday in 1:01.13 in the company of the 3-year-old maiden Flute Master (Gun Runner) (1:03.12). "Visually impressive is what he is,"...

Fleet-footed champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) was fittingly hammered down to 1-5 favoritism against an overmatched field in Belmont's GII True North S. Friday and he more than ran to that backing with a dominant victory. Hustling up to take his preferred position at the head of affairs, Jackie's Warrior was confronted by 12-1 shot Mr Phil (Mr Speaker), but he easily shook that foe off as the opening quarter went up in :22.83. Loping along on a loose rein under Joel Rosario, the bay clocked a half-mile in :45.52....

After winning the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas at the end of April, Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) moved up to a ranking of 121 in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. The new mark puts him even with fellow improvers Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), who won the GI Churchill Downs S. on Kentucky Derby Day and G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) scorer Titleholder (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}). They join Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) and Country Grammer (Tonalist) at that rating, which is a five-way tie for fifth in the standings. Leading the list...

The sprint division will be going through champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) once again if Satuday's tour-de-force victory in the GI Churchill Downs S. is any indication. A return winner in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn's GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. Apr. 16, he was favored at even-money to register his fourth career Grade I victory. The J. Kirk and Judy Robison colorbearer took his usual spot up front and led his six rivals through much-easier-than-anticipated early fractions of :22.76 and :45.50. He cornered four wide and allowed GI Breeders'...

Champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint upsetter Aloha West (Hard Spun) face off once again Saturday in the GI Churchill Downs S. Winner of the GII Pat Day Mile on this card last year, Jackie's Warrior came up a neck short in Belmont's GI Woody Stephens S. in June and romped in Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. next out Aug. 1. Defeating MGISW Life is Good (Into Mischief) by a neck after a gritty duel in the Spa's GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. 27 days later,...

Champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) returned as good ever, taking the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. in gate-to-wire fashion Saturday at Oaklawn. Receiving first-time Lasix for this seasonal bow, the 1-2 chalk took up his preferred position at the head of affairs, zipping out to a clear lead. He was quickly joined by 28-1 shot Empire of Gold (Goldencents), who pressed the Eclipse winner through a sharp first quarter in :21.61. Jackie's Warrior tugged a bit clear of the longshot through a :44.51 half-mile and turned for home in front....