Irish Jasper Wins Miss Preakness Stakes

Under a patient ride by Kendrick Carmouche, Irish Jasper surged through an opening along the inside in mid-stretch and sprinted clear to a 1 ¼-length victory Friday in the 30th running of the $150,000 Adena Springs Miss Preakness (G3).

The six-furlong Miss Preakness for 3-year-old fillies was the first of four graded stakes and second of seven total stakes on the 14-race Black-Eyed Susan Day program at Pimlico Race Course.

Owned and trained by Derek Ryan, the sophomore daughter of First Defence tracked Super Saks and Windy Forecast as they dueled through a pace of 22.65 seconds, 45.70 and 58.21. Sent off at 5-1 in a field of eight, Irish Jasper ($12) ran six-eighths in 1:10.78 over a fast main track.

It marked the second straight win, third in a stakes, and first graded stakes for Irish Jasper. Huasca rallied to finish second, 2 ½ lengths ahead of Coco’s Wildcat. Divine Dawn, the 2-1 favorite, was fourth.

                            ADENA SPRINGS MISS PREAKNESS QUOTES

Winning Owner/Trainer Derek Ryan (Irish Jasper): “This is a nice filly. We stopped here shipping up from Florida on the way to New York and she had a nice work. After she won in new York, we decided to come back down here. Now she has her Grade 3. Her two-turn race at Tampa, there wasn’t really anything else for her. So I figured we’d try it, but she got wiped out at the start.

Winning Jockey Kendrick Carmouche (Irish Jasper): “When we left there I wanted her to break good, which I broke really good. I knew we had a lot of speed in the race. I wanted to get a close position. Once I got my position I just sat on her. Johnny (Velazquez) came over a little at the quarter-pole because he was trying to cut the corner, the same as me. Once we got to the eighth-pole, we had to find a hole. Once I found the hole, she just exploded. I’m four-for-four on her.”

Larry Kelly, assistant to trainer Efren Loza Jr. (Huasca, 2nd): “She ran extremely well. We're very happy. A last-minute decision, but Loza and the gang decided to bring her up, so we got her here, and we're tickled to death with the race.''

Jockey John Velazquez (Huasca, 2nd): “She ran great. I wish I had a better post. Although I did cut the corner at the three-eighths pole and got through, and the other horse got through on the inside.”

Trainer Kathleen O’Connell (Coco’s Wildcat, 3rd): “It’s better than fourth. I would have liked a bigger share of the purse. The track seemed deep today. I thought it would have been more firm, but it is what it is, and everyone has to deal with it. I thought she might have been crowded around the turn. It was a good group of fillies and I’m glad my filly showed up.”

Jockey Paco Lopez (Coco’s Wildcat): “I got bumped a little when trying to make my run. We were moving good, but fillies coming from behind were moving really fast. She tried real hard today.”

Source: Maryland Jockey Club