Shoemaker Mile (Grade 1) (BC)- $400.000 Purse
SA- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
June 4, 2016

The accolades just keep coming in for Jamfest, a truly remarkable and underrated eight year old gelding in our game.  As a horse that has already won two BC races, there isn’t much more that Jamfest has to do to prove himself as a great.  He has won 19 of the 56 races that he has been in, two of which being the last two runnings of the BC Turf Sprint.  Winning the race three years in a row would be an amazing accomplishment, and there is still plenty of time between now and then for things to change.  But with the way things went today, and with the way things have gone in 2016 for the Megalomaniac gelding, it’s a very strong possibility.  The field in the Shoemaker Mile today was very strong, and he did not only win this race, he made it look pretty easy, winning in an HRP-rout 3 lengths, in a time of 1:32.28!  It’s his second win of 2016 to go with two seconds in his four starts this year, so he has simply continued right where he left off. It is the first win in the race for both the horse and the trainer, Jkk Racing Stables.  Jockey K J Desormeaux wins it for second time, having done so in 2009 with Iroquois Warrior.  The 1:32.28 is a record for the SA portion of the stake, but if you want to and feel it’s fair to also factor in the HOL times, it would be the second quickest edition of the stake.  Let’s look more at it!

1st- 7- Jamfest (6/5)- Our eventual race winner wasted no time getting out to the front for trainer Jkk Racing Stables.  He would quickly have the field cleared by a length when they hit the start finish line the first time, and as they moved into the opening turn.  The quarter was run in :23.52. This lead held constant as the backstretch trip began, but he would not be content with just riding along at this time, and began to open up some more ground between and those who had been stalking him.  At the time he set the half in :46.74, the lead was growing, and by the end of the backstretch, there was simply no one in this field who was ready to start pouring it on at this portion of the race, and he would open up by three.  At the top of the stretch, the only race left would be the race for second, as Jamfest began to check out on the rest of the field.   He would not lose any of his lead in the stretch, and likely could have kept on running and running.  Recent regular jockey K J Desormeaux simply had to enjoy the ride.  The end result is not only a win in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile, but an absolutely dominant performance in such a race. Congrats to Jkk Racing Stable on this victory which was very impressive.  Jamfest is an eight year old gelding by Megalomanic and out of Kiva Dunes, who has some Black Moon in her.  He was bred in Pennsylvania by Team 7 Illusions as a fourth quarter two year old.  He was acquired by Jkk Racing Stables via a $6.000 claim in September of 2011 from Aandc Stable.  Congratulations to all the connections!

2nd (dh)- 1- Hold The Mach (24/1)- The Night Rider Stables entry was good out of the gate, and was able to lock in to the position along the rail, something in which seemed critical for his race today.  He would assume a stalking position between the leader the Jamfest, as both Desolation Island and Charley Sweetback made it three wide to his outside.   Towards the end of the backstretch run, Jamfest began to pull away from him, and during the turn the eventual winner just became more and more distance.  For Hold The Mach, it became about holding the place, and he seemed to be the best of the three that had been running for second early.  In the stretch, Eastern Townships would make a nice bid along the outside, but he couldn’t quite complete the pass entirely, and they finish in a dead heat for second.

2nd (dh)- 4- Eastern Townships (5/1)- Making his debut for Harrell Racing, the lone three year old in the field was fine out of the gate, but would run towards the back of the pack early, keeping Iron Mann company.  Maintained a steady stride during the backstretch, and as they approached the turn, J Rosario prepared to make his move forward by positioning Eastern Townships to the outside of Charley Sweetback.  He didn’t make up as much ground here as the trainer would have liked, but moreso because everyone else was still running well, too.  Ran valiantly all the way to the wire, though the outside lane and likely an unfortunate headbob hurt him with Hold The Mach and they settle for a dead heat.  The trainer was clearly disappointed, and Eastern Townships paid a price after the race.  He will be a gelding in his next start.

4th- 8- Charley Sweetback (8/1)- The Delta Farms entry started well out of the gate, and had visions of battling Jamfest for the lead into the opening turn, before settling in to a position about a length back, to his outside.  Remained steady over the backstretch, but had no answer for Jamfest’s pouring it on in the turn, and fell about three lengths back while battling Hold The Mach for second.  He would hold his own for much of the run in the stretch, which is impressive giving he was making a step up to face this company.  However, in the final half furlong, he seemed to tire quicker then the others around him.

5th (dh)- 2- Iron Mann (68/1)- The longest shot on the board from Aer Stables was fine out of the gate, though would be sixth of seven, just three lengths from the leaders as they moved around the opening turn.  He did not have much room to run early in the backstretch run, so it appeared as though J Alvarado held him up a little bit to see how traffic would emerge heading into the turn. He tried to move him along the rail, but there was no room there, and it became too late to move outside in the turn because Tin Lizzie claimed the lane.  We would never see a move forthcoming from him, as he stayed to inside hoping, perhaps, to pick positions off late.

5th (dh)- 3- Desolation Island (2/1)- The horse that finished in a dead with Jamfest in his last start was well beaten today, but it didn’t look all that bad early on for the Mb Stables entry.  He would stalk the leader’s pace around the opening turn and into the backstretch.  Desolation Island seemed to struggle in the backstretch, and before they even made it to the final turn, he had dropped three lengths from the leaders. From this point, he simply gradually lost ground as the race went on and finishes in a disappointing manner.  No excuses on track were apparent.

7th- 6- Tin Lizzie (9/1)- As expected, the normal deep closer from Stald Gullis went to the back of the pack early on.  While he trailed the field around the opening turn, he was only about five lengths from the leaders, so for a horse with this style, it seemed like a good start.  Kept at this distance as they moved into the turn, and when it was time to urge Tin Lizzie forward, R J Albarado had no other option to bring him wide.  He got close to several, but would fail to complete a pass on the track.

Track: Firm
Time: :23²  :46³  1:09¹  1:32¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 7 – 1 Paid 23.90, 7 – 4 Paid 7.60
$1 Trifecta: 7 – 1 – 4 Paid 617.70, 7 – 4 – 1 Paid 155.10

Scratched: Antelope Storm

Winner picked by NS

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES