Irish Jasper captures Miss Preakness

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.

"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).