Mind Control faces six in Jerome as New Year kicks off with Derby prep

The New Year begins with a Kentucky Derby qualifier at Aqueduct, Tuesday’s $150,000 Jerome, and Hopeful (G1) winner Mind Control heads a six-horse field in the one-mile test. John Velazquez will be up on the Greg Sacco-trained colt.

A total of 17 points will be awarded to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1) in the Road to the Kentucky Derby series race.

Scratched from October’s Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, Mind Control broke poorly when returning from a two-month freshening in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and wound up off the pace for the first time in his four-race career, passing tiring rivals in the stretch to be a non-threatening seventh.

An improved effort can be expected from the front-running son of Stay Thirsty. Mind Control broke his maiden the second time out at Monmouth Park and was overlooked at 10-1 recording a wire-to-wire victory in the seven-furlong Hopeful at Saratoga.

Direct Order will jump to stakes company for Jason Servis with a two-race win streak. A maiden scorer at Parx on October 15, the New Year’s Day colt rallied from just off to prevail as the odds-on favorite in an allowance/optional claimer at Aqueduct on November 29. Jose Lezcano takes over the mount.

John Servis will send out Gates of Dawn, who exits a sharp three-length triumph in a November 17 maiden tally at Parx. A $425,000 two-year-old in training purchase, the son of Arch was favored at 1-2 in his second start last time and Frankie Pennington will be in to ride the dark bay colt.

Souper Jackpot, a Churchill Downs maiden winner two back, can’t be dismissed from consideration after registering a field-best 102 BRIS Speed rating for a neck second in the December 8 Smooth Air at Gulfstream Park. Junior Alvarez picks up the assignment for Mark Casse.

Our Braintrust captured the Tremont at Belmont in early June and the Maryland-bred Freud colt returned from a six-month layoff with a runner-up effort last time, the restricted Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel Park on December 8. Jose Vargas retains the mount for Cathal Lynch. Family Biz, a last-out maiden winner at Aqueduct, completes the field.