Flexibility Heads the Jerome

The $200,000 Jerome (G3), which is the third stop on the New York trail to the 2016 Kentucky Derby, will be contested on Saturday going a mile and 70 yards on the inner track at Aqueduct. Flexibility, who ran second to Mohaymen in his last two graded stakes races, has been installed as the even money morning line favorite.

Although this is the 146^th running of the Jerome, it was only recently moved to Aqueduct to become an additional Derby prep race. For much of its modern history it was run at Belmont Park in the fall. The first couple years at the Big A, it was run between the Wood Memorial and the Run for the Roses, but in 2013 the Jerome took its January place. Since then the winners have been Vyjack in 2013, Noble Moon 2014, and El Kabeir last year.

A field of nine newly turned three-year-olds has been entered in the Jerome, although two of them, Condo King and King Kranz, are cross-entered in Friday’s $125,000 Lost in the Fog six-furlong sprint stakes at Aqueduct.

Let’s take a look at the field from the rail on out to see who will be looking to upset the odds-on favorite, Flexibility. The Jerome is a part of the Kentucky Derby Prep Season races that carry 10-4-2-1 Derby qualifying points for the top four finishers.

Silent Assassin [Zito, Arroyo, 3: 1-0-1, $26,554, ML 50-1] – This son of Harlan’s Holiday is justified as the field’s longest shot. It took this Nick Zito trainee three tries to break his maiden as a $75,000 claimer on the Aqueduct turf. His nose victory earned a low 66 BSF.

In Equality [Gyarmati, J. Alvarado, 3: 1-0-0, $41,250, ML 20-1] –Leah Gyarmati, who won the Jerome with Noble Moon for the same ownership group, switched In Equality to the inner track after two tries on the turf. The son of Quality Road took to the dirt and rallied to a neck victory after having some trouble at the start of the mile and a sixteenth race to earn a 73 BSF. In Equality is a half-brother to a $600,000 winner of the Woodbine Oaks. He will need to step up in class, but he is not without a chance to be part of the exotics.

Donegal Moon [Pletcher, Franco, 5: 1-1-1, $63,930, ML 15-1] – Trainer Todd Pletcher looks for his first winner in the Jerome with this son of Malibu Moon. Donegal Moon set the pace in the Remsen (G2) where he faded to finish fifth. He will not get an easy lead in this race and looks to be in a tough spot, especially being a horse that has had a tendency to come up short in most of his starts.

Flexibility [C. Brown, I. Ortiz, 3: 1-2-0, $136,000, ML 1-1] – All that Flexibility has done wrong in his career is to run into Mohaymen in his last two starts. The absence of that leading Kentucky Derby contender makes Flexibility the obvious choice to win.  The second and third place finishers in his first-time state-bred maiden win both came back to win their next starts. This New York-bred has had improving BSFs of 74-86-93. In the Remsen, he also clearly defeated his talented stablemate, Gift Box, and earned four Derby qualifying points.

Vorticity [Lawrence, J. Ortiz, 3: 2-1-0, $100,400, ML 4-1] – This morning line second choice, who was a $220,000 two-year-old in training purchase, is one of two stakes winners in the field. His maiden win at Aqueduct in November was followed by a win in the Marylander at Laurel on Dec. 5. Both of those wins were at seven-furlongs and were contested on or just off of the lead. Distance and pace pressure could be an issue for this son of Distorted Humor and the multi-graded stakes winning mare, Tar Heel Mom, as he goes two turns for the first time.

Bird of Trey [John Servis, Carmouche, 5: 2-2-1, $146,748, ML 10-1] – Trainer John Servis of Smarty Jones fame ships this son of Quality Road to New York from his home base at Parx. Never out of the money, he romped by 7 ¾ lengths last out in the Pennsylvania Nursery for state-breds. His last three races show BSF improvement with 79-80-90 as he, too, tries two-turns for the first time.

Condo King [Rudy Rodriguez, Silvera, 3: 1-1-1, $57,000, ML 5-1] – This son of Tiz Wonderful went wire to wire to win his sprinting maiden race at Aqueduct by a neck last month with a 90 BSF. Here is yet another sprinter that likes the lead and will be trying two-turns for the first time. The Lost in the Fog may be a better spot for this one that is listed at 5-1 on the morning line.

UPDATE: Condo King will run in the Jerome. His maiden win was flattered when King Kranz broke his maiden with an impressive stalking trip to win in the Lost in the Fog stakes in 1:11.84.

King Kranz [Terranova, C. Velasquez, 5: M-2-2, $71,990, ML 6-1] – Still a maiden, this Zayat Stables runner finished second in the Futurity (G2) behind the talented Annual Report and third in JF Lewis stakes at Laurel, but most recently was beaten a neck by Condo King in a maiden race. This would be an unlikely spot for King Kranz to get his first win.

UPDATE: King Kranz scratched from the Jerome and won Friday's Lost in the Fog to break his maiden.

Let Me Go First [Blane Servis, Rosado, 3: 1-0-1, $38,020, ML 30-1] – Maybe this trainer is catching a ride in the van from Parx with his Dad, John’s horse.  Let Me Go First is a son of Paddy O’ Prado who broke his maiden going two turns at Parx in his most recent start. He is owned by his trainer and Kendall Hansen, who is the owner of 2012 Gotham (G3) winner, Hansen.

Jerome picks – 1) Flexibility 2) In Equality 3) Bird of Trey