Ky. Derby trail: Rodriguez looks forward with Talk to Me Jimmy

Talk to Me Jimmy announced his presence in the sophomore dirt division and stepped onto the Kentucky Derby trail with an emphatic 11-length romp in Friday’s $200,000 Withers, a 1 1/8-mile test for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack. The winning effort saw Talk to Me Jimmy secure the maximum allotment of the 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points on offer towards the Kentucky Derby.

Ridden to victory by Ruben Silvera, the New York-bred son of Modernist became the first stakes-winner for his sire after dueling for early command with the favored Schoolyardsuperman, marking splits of 23.96 seconds, 48.18 and 1:12.47 over the fast footing. He kicked clear of Schoolyardsuperman entering the turn and brought his advantage to 6 1/2 lengths at the stretch call, furthering it in the lane to bound through the wire a much-the-best winner in a final time of 1:51.68. The effort garnered a career-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.

Click here for Aqueduct entries and results.

The win came on the back of a 5 1/2-length maiden score going one-mile against fellow state-breds in November here when adding blinkers following a third on debut in September.

Rudy Rodriguez, who trains Talk to Me Jimmy for SEI Thoroughbreds, said he always believed the horse would relish additional ground.

“He looked like he wanted to go the distance,” Rodriguez said. “He’s got a nice cruise control, and even in his gallops, he’s nice and steady. We were lucky that we got to breeze him out of the gate for the race, and we put another good half-mile into him after that.

“We were thinking to put the blinkers on right from the get-go, but the first time, I just said to leave it alone,” Rodriguez added. “Thank God, we did add them, because it looks like he gets himself together with them. Ruben breezed him the other day and said he gets a little lazy without them.”

Rodriguez noted after the race that Talk to Me Jimmy grabbed a quarter on his front right at some point in the race, and said on Saturday morning that the colt was in good order.

“Thank God, everything looks good,” Rodriguez said. “I’m not too sure where in the race he grabbed himself, maybe a little past the half-mile pole. The little cut on his foot isn’t too bad, but we’ll just make sure with the vet. He’s comfortable this morning and we’re very happy with the way he ran.”

Rodriguez noted there are several options for Talk to Me Jimmy going forward this winter and spring. He expects to nominate the colt to at least four upcoming stakes, including local options in the one-turn mile $300,000 Gotham (G3) at a one-turn mile on February 28 and the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) at 1 1/8 miles on April 4. The Gotham offers 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner. The Wood offers 100. At Laurel Park, Talk to Me Jimmy is likely to be nominated to the one-mile Miracle Wood on February 21 and the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms on March 21.

“Let’s see what the owners want to do,” Rodriguez said, noting the Wood Memorial is a logical spot. “They said to nominate him for the Gotham and the couple of races at Laurel, too.”

Bred in the Empire State by Majestic View Farms, Talk to Me Jimmy is out of the 10-time winning Trippi mare Prairie Trip, whose half-sister Russian River produced turf Grade 2-winner Marckie’s Water. Talk to Me Jimmy was purchased by Rodriguez for $31,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale.

Along with Talk to Me Jimmy, SEI Thoroughbreds and Rodriguez’s week included a dominant maiden score from sophomore colt Exhibition Only in Race 3 on Thursday at the Big A. The son of Complexity was off-the-board on the dirt in his July debut at Saratoga ahead of three efforts over the turf, including a neck second in November when adding blinkers and setting the pace for the first time.

On Thursday, the promising bay switched back to dirt and again made the lead, but this time, he widened his margin at each point of call under Silvera to canter home a 7 3/4-length winner of the one-turn mile maiden optional claimer in a final time of 1:38.73. The effort was awarded a career-best 84 Beyer.

“He ran very, very good. That was my favorite horse (among the 2024 yearling purchases). He would breeze (a half-mile) in 46 seconds, and then have a good gallop-out too,” Rodriguez said. “He doesn’t really want to sprint, and we ran him on the grass for the two turns.”

Exhibition Only is likely to join Talk to Me Jimmy on the nomination sheet for the Gotham, as well as the two options at Laurel.

“We’ll just wait and see, and thank God we’ve got him and Jimmy,” Rodriguez said. “I’m very thankful for them and the owners.”

Exhibition Only, bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, was a $70,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the winning Majesticperfection mare Silla Manila, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Atigun, who finished third in the 2012 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.