The Jerkens Memorial (Grade 1)- $400.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
August 1, 2020

As we move into August, the heart of the Saratoga meet is set to begin, and part of the card on Saturday is the 18th running of the Grade 1 Jerkens Memorial, and that’s different then in past years. Normally, this race has been a part of Travers weekend, so it has been contested at the end of August. It should have major implications for the BC Sprint, so we should expect to see a great one! The purse has seen a cut from previous years, dropping to $400.000, however before 2012, there was only $250.000 at stake. Our winner last year was Blowberg, for Estero Farms, a horse that went on to finish seventh in the BC Sprint. Interestingly, he was one of only two horses in the BC Sprint that ran in the Jerkens, as many of those ran in the Forego, which was run on the same day. This year’s race will have a field of nine. Here’s a look at them!

#1- Tudor One (Mb Stables, ridden by A T Gryder)- The trainer will have a third of the starting gate for this race. Tudor One is a horse that is looking to forget about his dreadful KYD, where he was caught up in that pace that we would all love to forget about. He’s been better since then, including a third place effort in the Grade 3 Affirmed. This will be the first time that he runs under a mile when in the silks of Mb, but he was an excellent sprinter for Blue Ridge Racing,

#2- Angelsinheaven (Angelos Stable, ridden by J K Court)- He surprised some in May when he finished second in the PRK, but now he too is going to cut back on distance. Angelsinheaven would also run in the BEL, and finish in the middle of the field. Three weeks ago, he would run third in the Grade 3 Dwyer on muddy going. That’s a lot of running long, so now it is time for him to run just seven furlongs as well. The Dwyer was only a mile, but given the track condition, not sure what to think about him cutting back.

#3- Sail Away (Mb Stables, ridden by J K Court)- At the end of the meet last year, he was able to sail away with a win in the Grade 1 Hopeful. Until his last start in June, he had not hit the board again since. He did tried several preps, and was decent, but given the strength of the barn at Mb Stables, he would fall down the pecking order. Finally, in early June, and at seven furlongs, he stepped up to win the Grade 1 Stephens, earnings a 100 SRF. Now, it’s back to the track where he won the Hopeful!

#4- Iron Return (Alydar Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Unlike many in this field, Iron Return has remained a sprinter for the majority of his career, and that could be a positive thing. Two starts ago, he was the runner up to Sail Away at the Grade 1 Stephens, but he was unable to follow that up well at all. Last month, he took on a field of 12 at the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes, which included last year’s winner, Blowberg, and failed to beat a single horse. That seems like an outlier, so perhaps the trainer knows why it happened and can be sure it does not happen again.

#5- Bodemeister (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by M J Sanchez)- The Snowmizer colt also comes out of the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes, and fared a lot better then did Iron Return, placing fourth. Overall, he has won three of eleven starts, with his claim to fame right now being a triumph at the $100.000 Runyon for NY-breds at AQU in March. That was also the last time he ran seven furlongs. This could be seen as a very pivotal race for him, because he seems at crossroads of either becoming one of the better ones in the division, or being dropped back.

#6- Notorious Temper (John Henry, ridden by R Bejarano)- Back in April, prior trainer Night Rider Stables loved this horse, and was ecstatic when he won the Grade 1 AR Derby. However, things can change quickly in this sport, and after failing to be a factor in both the KYD and BEL, Notorious Temper was sold off to John Henry for $300.000. Unfortunately for the new trailer, he did not debut well at the IND Derby, only running 8th of ten. It’s been almost exactly one year since he last ran in a sprint, but he did win it.

#7- Night Creature (Aer Stables, ridden by D Davis)- Here is another horse that returns to sprinting after a long time of running long; the last time Night Creature did so was in June of 2019. He spent the early part of this year running on the grass, but would transition quite well back to the dirt this spring, hitting the board in both the TAM Derby and the BG Stakes. His last two starts have not been impressive, so the trainer changes things up by running him seven furlongs here.

#8- Keep It Cool (Mb Stables, ridden by R M Hernandez)- The third of the threesome from the trainer, and this one will be making his graded stake debut. He has certainly earned this chance with five wins and two places in his last seven starts. It’s a run that began modestly, but he comes off a win in the $75.000 Carry Back at GP. This can have all the looks of being that horse from the trainer in a race like this that doesn’t have the glamourous races on his resume like his stablemates, but ends up getting the win.

#9- Genghis (Arindel, ridden by F Prat)- Finally, this Copper Beast colt has been doing his sprinting on the grass recently, but after a dismal finish in the Grade 1 Highland, it is back to the main track. He has turned several quality finishes in a row on the main track, and his biggest win came back in February in the Grade 2 San Vicente. I won’t necessarily say he needs a big run here, but it would certainly be quite worthwhile if he wants to keep seeing races like this.

Prediction: 3-4-8-7

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES