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Irish Jasper captures Miss Preakness
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| Irish Jasper proved best in the Miss Preakness
(Cecilia Gustavsson/Horsephotos.com) |
Jockey Kendrick Carmouch and Irish Jasper (First Defence) proved a winning
combination once again in Friday's $150,000
Miss Preakness S. (G3), prevailing
by 1 1/4 lengths on the wire of the six-furlong sprint.
Owned and trained by Derek S. Ryan, the dark bay miss was making her graded
bow in this spot off a nice score in the Belle Harbor S. at Aqueduct on April
26. That was Irish Jasper's third score with Carmouche in the saddle from as
many starts, and the pair continued their winning relationship when stopping the
clock in 1:10 3/5 over the fast Pimlico dirt on Friday.
"This is a
nice filly," Ryan praised Irish Jasper. "We stopped here shipping up from Florida on the way to New York and
she had a nice work. After she won in New York, we decided to come back down
here. Now she has her Grade 3."
Windy Forecast (Stormy Atlantic) took full advantage and moved to the fore
when the front-running Super Saks (Sky Mesa) stumbled out of the gates, but it
didn't take long for Super Saks to recover and grab command through the opening
quarter in :22 3/5. Windy Forecast fought back on the inside to get the
half-mile in :45 3/5, but found the rest of the field swamping her upon entering
the lane.
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Meanwhile, after a bumpy start, Carmouche was keeping Irish Jasper out of
trouble in the back of the pack. The pair rallied three wide while splitting
rivals in upper stretch before angling to the inside and kicking clear of new leaders
Coco's Wildcat (Wildcat Heir) and Huasca (Tiz Wonderful) to score.
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| Irish Jasper and jockey Kendrick Carmouche are now four-for-four
(Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club) |
"When we left there I wanted her to break good. I knew we had a lot of speed
in the race. I wanted to get a close position," Carmouche explained. "Once I got
my position I just sat on her. Johnny (Velazquez on Huasca) came over a little
at the quarter-pole because he was trying to cut the corner, the same as me.
Once we got to the eighth-pole, we had to find a hole. Once I found the hole,
she just exploded."
Huasca, the 5-2 second choice, got the better of Coco's Wildcat by 2 1/2
lengths on the line while 5-2 favorite Divine Dawn (Divine Park) followed in fourth another 4 3/4 lengths
back.
"She ran extremely well. We're very happy," assistant trainer Larry Kelly
said of Huasca. "A last-minute decision, but (trainer Efren) Loza (Jr.) and the
gang decided to bring her up, so we got her here, and we're tickled to death
with the race."
Irish Jasper paid $12 as the 5-1 third choice, and improved her record to
5-0-1 from eight career starts. The dark bay miss has banked $225,800 thus
far and also boasts a stakes win in the Gasparilla S.
Bred in Kentucky by Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Courtney Sr., Irish Jasper sold
for $12,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling. She is the first
registered stakes winner out of Irish Connection (Mr. Greeley), who is a
half-sister to a pair of stakes-place winners in Dicey Girl (Yonaguska) and
Gallows (Red Ransom).
The Miss Preakness vixen's third dam is Grade 2-placed stakes heroine Now Dance
(Sovereign Dancer), who produced stakes scorers Touchdown (Pleasant Tap), Timetobewild (Time for a Change) and Danceroftherealm (King of Kings).
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Irish Jasper's fifth dam is Argentinean champion Taba (Table
Play), who is probably best known for foaling 1986 champion older horse Turkoman
(Alydar).
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