Irish Jasper Continues Progress in Victory Ride
Updated: July 6, 2015 at 2:28 pm
Irish Jasper started her career off unassumingly in a Parx maiden $25,000 seller last October, but romped in that spot before adding a starter allowance two starts later back in Bensalem Nov. 30. She went on to upend Tampa’s Gasparilla S. Dec. 27, but was eighth behind last Saturday’s GI Mother Goose S. heroine Include Betty (Include) when trying two turns in the Jan. 31 Suncoast S. A late-on-the-scene fourth in Pimlico’s grassy Stormy Blue S. over five panels, the dark bay upended Aqueduct’s Apr. 26 Belle Harbor S. before rallying resolutely to defeat next-out Tangelo H. heroine Huasca (Tiz Wonderful) in Pimlico’s GIII Miss Preakness S. May 15. Outrun in the early going here, Irish Jasper began to zero in on the tiring front-runners as they rounded the sweeping far turn. Sent up four wide into the lane by Javier Castellano, she swept to the lead nearing the final furlong and came away to score comfrtably. Favored ‘TDN Rising Star’ Enchanted Lady looked to be struggling with the surface for the better part of the opening quarter mile, but finally found her best stride in the lane and ran on well to be second.
“I think she’s the best 3-year-old filly in the country,” said winning owner/trainer Derek Ryan. “The seven-eighths is going to be perfect for her [in the GI] Test [S. at Saratoga Aug. 8]; that’s the next thing for her. We’ll see where we are after that. I bought her off a friend of mine last year in Ocala, and it worked out great.”
Saturday, Belmont Park
VICTORY RIDE S.-GIII, $147,000, BEL, 7-4, 3yo, f,
6 1/2f, 1:16.70, ft.
1–IRISH JASPER, 123, f, 3, by First Defence
1st Dam: Irish Connection, by Mr. Greeley
2nd Dam: Gambader, by Holy Bull
3rd Dam: Now Dance, by Sovereign Dancer
($12,000 Ylg ’13 FTKOCT). O/T-Derek S. Ryan;
B-Robert E Courtney (KY); J-Javier Castellano.
$87,000. Lifetime Record: 9-6-0-1, $312,800. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A++.
2–Enchanting Lady, 119, f, 3, Tale of the Cat–A. P.
Baby, by A.P. Indy. ($90,000 Ylg ’13 KEESEP;
$650,000 2yo ’14 OBSMAR). O-Kaleem Shah Inc.;
B-Randal Family Trust, R David & Marylyn A Randal
Trustees (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $30,000.
3–Kathballu, 115, f, 3, Bluegrass Cat–Abba Gold, by
Devil’s Bag. O/B-Five-D Thoroughbreds LLC (KY);
T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $15,000.
Margins: 3, 2 3/4, HD. Odds: 4.90, 1.15, 11.00.
Also Ran: Miss Ella, Promise Me Silver, Super Saks.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, or the TJCIS PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.