El Kabeir the one to beat in Jerome

Kentucky Jockey Club winner El Kabeir will seek his second straight graded

stakes victory when he squares off against eight foes in Saturday's Grade 3,

$200,000

Jerome at Aqueduct. Contested at a mile and 70 yards over the inner track,

the Jerome offers points on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the first four respective

finishes as part of the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series.

El Kabeir pocketed 10 points toward a berth in the Kentucky Derby starting

gate when capturing the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on

November 29, scoring by a head in wire-to-wire fashion, and also earned one

point for his fourth in the Champagne three starts back. He sandwiched a

runner-up effort in the November 2 Nashua between those efforts.

The gray son of Scat Daddy registered a field-best 100 BRIS Speed rating when

breaking his maiden by a 10-length margin at Saratoga last August.

Trained by John Terranova for Zayat Stables LLC, El Kabeir was purchased for

$250,000 at the OBS August yearling sale. Calvin Borel, who picked up the mount

in the Kentucky Jockey Club, will stick with the front-running colt.

Nasa steps up to face open stakes opponents in good form, posting a 2

1/4-length win in the restricted Pennsylvania Nursery on December 6. The Smarty

Jones colt received a 96 BRIS Speed rating last time, equaling the figure El

Kabeir earned in the Kentucky Jockey Club, and Nasa broke his maiden against

open company three starts back at Laurel Park, defeating maiden special weight

foes by a 9 1/4-length margin.