Jackie's Warrior preserves perfect record in Champagne

In a rematch of last month’s Hopeful Stakes, Jackie’s Warrior once again came out ahead of Reinvestment Risk in the $250,000 Champagne (G1) for 2-year-olds Saturday at Belmont Park, breaking away down the stretch to remain undefeated in four races.

Reinvestment Risk challenged him around the far turn in the one-mile race, but faded late and finished second as he did in the Hopeful (G1). Jackie's Warrior won by 5 1/2 lengths.

“He looked like everything he was doing was easy for him,” said Joel Rosario, who rode Jackie’s Warrior to victory. “I was very confident.”

The win gave Jackie’s Warrior, trained by Steve Asmussen, a guaranteed spot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile next month at Keeneland. Foreign futures for the race already had him as a 3-1 favorite.

Rosario was deferential to Asmussen’s judgment on taking that race on, but said he thought the colt was up to the task.

“We’ll see what happens,” Rosario said. “I think he’ll have no problem, but we’ll go and see what’s going on.”

Jackie’s Warrior pulled away from the post with the lead, which he never surrendered, easily hitting splits of 23.12, 46.54 and 1:10.68. His winning time was 1:35.42.

Rosario said after the race that the colt’s ability to break well is one of his greatest weapons.

“It’s a very good feeling,” he said. “He just gets out there, he breaks two lengths in front of everybody so not all kind of horses do that.”

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile would be the colt’s first time going 1 1/16 miles and around two turns. He had previously won at five, six and seven furlongs, before making his first attempt at a mile in Saturday’s race.

The son of Maclean’s Music out of the A. P. Five Hundred mare Unicorn Girl, Jackie’s Warrior is owned by Kirk and Judy Robison, who bought him for $95,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale.

"He had an easy half-mile and I'm surprised he came home that quick. He's very impressive," said Asmussen's Belmont Park-based assistant Toby Sheets. "He's a class act and does everything correct. The one-turn mile certainly didn't seem to bother him."

Midnight Bourbon finished third. Jackie’s Warrior returned $3.70 for the win.