The Jaipur (Grade 1) (BC)- $500.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
Five and a Half Furlongs on the Turf
June 7, 2025

A spot in the BC Turf Sprint is up for grabs as the division as its first “Win and You’re In” race at SAR in the 22nd running of the Grade 1 Jaipur. Nine horses will be taking part in the race to not only try to get into the BC but also take the top portion of the $500.000 purse. That dollar amount represents a high for the race and was seen previously in 2020 as well as last year. While at BEL, the Jaipur was run at six or seven furlongs, but to accommodate the race properly at SAR, the distance was cut a bit. Having no problem last year was Drinkin Creepin, for Mb Stables, as the late gelding went wire to wire in what was his fourth of what would become a seven-race winning streak. Unfortunately, he fell off pretty quick it seems, struggling in the BC, and never racing again. Here’s a look at the field for the race:

1- Last Last Last (Lanfranco Stable, ridden by D Davis)- As a horse that has hit the board in 16 of 21 starts, Last Last Last has certainly been productive, but his recent career has seen him exchange trainer hands in claimers repeatedly. He’s won three in a row, but we’re talking about allowances and optional claimers that most of the others in here would be winning as well. Lanfranco did add blinkers, which has helped and now will see what his horse can do against the best.

2- Teterboro (Chili King Stables, ridden by P Husbands)- One of the two three-year-olds in this field, and that will give them a six-pound weight allowance. Teterboro has won two of nine, both coming on the dirt, but he would be moved to the turf in March. He’s since run three times, and it looks like the right move, as he has hit the board in a pair of ungraded stakes, which include the $300.000 Walker from CD at the end of April. Still looking for that signature win, but that potential is there.

3- Spin Zone (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Here’s the other three-year-old in the race, and like Teterboro, he last raced at CD in the Walker. While Teterboro was finishing third, Spin Zone was taking home the trophy, winning by a length. He’s regularly been seen in ungraded races, although the results have not always been pretty for him. Spin Zone struggled in both the Colonel Liam and the Palisades Turf Sprint and will be hoping the Walker represents a turning point so we can stop mentioning those.

4- Exemplary (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- Picked up a massive win last fall, taking the $2,000.000 Grade 1 Simpson Stakes at KD, and would later finish fourth in the BC Turf Sprint. Prior to the Simpson, you could fairly call Exemplary an inconsistent horse, but it looks like that win has gotten him straightened out. So far as four-year-old, Exemplary has run in four races, winning two, which are his last two starts, and hitting the board in all four. Those two wins were on soft turf, and since it’s a Saturday in upstate NY, rain is likely. I say that facetiously, though the game forecast gives it a 57% chance of rain as of now.

5- Last Way To The Beac (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- This will be the 40th career start for this now seven-year-old gelding. In that time, he’s won eleven times and accumulated over $3,800.000 in earnings. When I saw his name in this field, I immediately thought that it’s been a while since I’ve written up one of his races, and as I look closer, I see he’s only been in one stake since September. You can understand that, as he had a few tough races in a row, so it’s good to see him back in a graded race. He did return to one in March, the Grade 3 San Simeon where he was second. He doesn’t have a great history when it’s wet (though it’s been a while), so we’ll see if he still runs if it does end up raining.

6- Awad (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Ran second to Exemplary in the Simpson, and while that race seemed to help Exemplary, it’s been the opposite for Awad. While he has been fourth on a couple of occasions, including his last start in the Grade 2 TS Turf Sprint, Awad has struggled since that race. Perhaps his run in the TS Turf Sprint can get him turned around back in the right direction, and it would be good to see a nice competitive run out of him where he hit the board, if not winning this outright.

7- Peace Pipe (Spankys Barn, ridden by L Saez)- Picked up by Spankys Barn for $125.000 in private sales in December. Peace Pipe had a successful career before the sale, impressing right away as a two-year-old but seemed to fizzle out during his three-year-old season. Bounced back with Mb Stables for a four-race stretch, leading to the sale to Spankys Barn. The new trainer could have just continued entering him on the dirt but instead moved him to the grass. Right now, this is not a success story as a transition, given he has not earned a penny in Spankys silks, but he’s going to stick with it, and we should not doubt him.

8- Little Tiger (Ajm Stables, ridden by K De Jesus)- The trainer bought themselves a nice Christmas present, picking up Little Tiger on that day for $85.000 in private sales. He was lightly raced up to that point, but productive in overnights. Made his stake debut in the $125.000 Janus, running second, and the sale was probably agreed to right after the race. Ajm Stables has brought him forward further, with one win and three seconds in four starts. He won the $125.000 Turf Dash and has been second in both the Grade 2 Shakertown and the Grade 2 TS Turf Sprint. Perhaps this will be the race where he gets that big, graded win.

9- Chilled Niagra (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by R M Hernandez)- It’s just one week shy of a full year to when Maxmillion Farm claimed this gelding for $25.000 and to say it has been profitable would be an understatement. In the seven races that have followed, Chilled Niagra has won five times, with two of them being graded wins. The most recent such win was the Grade 3 GP Turf Sprint, where he defeated Awad and Little Tiger in the process. Is he about to become the next great Maxmillion turf horse? He’s certainly on the right track!

Prediction: 8-4-9-5

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES