The Jerkens Memorial (Grade 1)- $500.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
August 27, 2022

Rogue Commando has been stuck on the outside for pretty much her entire career since being acquired by Mb Stables in January, and on many occasions, it’s been a double digit number. For the Jerkens Memorial, the gelding may have thought it was weird to be so close to the rail to the start, but the better post position would help him turn a string of seconditis into a victory. For Mb Stables, this was just part of an amazing day at the Spa, which would also see victories in the Ballston, Personal Ensign, and Travers, while “only” being second in the Forego. The victory here in the Jerkens was the third time he won the race with previous victories occurring in 2012 and 2016. The winning jockey is M Franco, his first such win. Congratulations go out to them! The time of the victory was 1:21.35, the third quickest in the history of the race. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :22.25)- From his outside post, Maxmillion Farm’s High Time shoots out of the starting gate and quickly opens up a two length lead on the rest of the field. Behind him, there are two stalkers, with The Federal Reserve holding the outer lane for Threshold, and Save His Soul on the rail for TwinTowersRacing. The next row will be a group of three, and among them is our eventual winner from Mb Stables, Rogue Commando, making the most of this time on the rail. Beside him is his stablemate, Aladdins Genie while running three wide, it’s the Broken Spoke Stables- trained Sunshine Scooter. It looked like that one was going to be a little closer to the front out of the gate before settling into this spot. Next up, come Count Hound (Wood Duck Stables) and Blamethespeedparty (Martyparty) running side by side, followed by Charles (Wood Duck Stables), Championship Rounds (Mb Stables), and King Pigeon (Delta Farms).

(½ Mile- :45.10, Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- The conclusion of the backstretch run and first half of the turn did not see much change in the way things run, so we can take things right to the top of the stretch as the excitement begins to pick up. At the front, there is nothing new, however, as High Time is still in complete control of the race with a lead of two and a half lengths. The two that had been behind him, both The Federal Reserve and Save His Soul are starting to get leg weary and those who had been right behind them have made it a five wide group now with Sunshine Scooter positioned well despite the outside trip. Rogue Commando would have to move off of the rail in order to pass the two that were in front of them, but that’s nothing new for him, and he seemed to be in good form here. Aladdins Genie continued to be right beside him, giving Mb Stables two horses to be excited about for the stretch. Further back, not much going on, and the eventual race runner up, King Pigeon, still had plenty of work to do at this point, running in tenth.

(Finish- 1:21.35)- Rogue Commando impressively comes through between horses, making quick work of them as he sets his sights on High Time. With a furlong to go, he still had a length to make up, but with the way he had been coming on, it was inevitable at this point. The bigger concern for Mb Stables would be whether or not there was anyone coming from behind, and the main one that was too far behind to be a concern. King Pigeon was full of run at the top of the stretch, but may have had to briefly check up to avoid running into Save His Soul. This didn’t cost a lot of time, but it hindered his momentum enough to spoil the chances to get a win, if it was ever going to be possible. Approaching the wire, it was going to be Rogue Commando’s day, getting one of a handful of wins for Mb Stables at the Spa on the biggest day of the meet. The win was nearly two full lengths over the late running King Pigeon. Count Hound and Blamethespeedparty were two others that looked good late, and that effort gets them third and fourth, leaving High Time without any portion of the purse in fifth. Stablemates Aladdins Genie and Championship Rounds share sixth, topping Charles, Sunshine Scooter, Save His Soul and The Federal Reserve.

About the Winner- Rogue Commando, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by M Franco, is a three year old gelding by Smart Catch, and is out of Rag Doll Rogue. He was bred in by EasyMoney Stables as a first quarter two year old in California and acquired by Mb Stables for $150.000 in private sales this January. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 14 starts, and first stake win of any sort. His career earnings are now $645.810.

Track: Fast
Time: :22¹  :45   1:09   1:21¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 5 Paid 53.10
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 5 – 10 Paid 522.70

Scratched: Neoconservative, Iron Mine(L)

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES