Jersey Town perfectly capable of spurring up a surprise or two in the Grade 2 Kelso at Belmont Park
The long shot comeback from behind, Barclay Tagg trained 5-year-old horse, Jersey Town, is gearing up to have a go in the Grade 2 $200,000 Kelso Stakes at Belmont Park on 1 October, 2011.
The Charles Fipke owned Jersey Town will have to face the likes of the 2010 2-year-old champion, Uncle Mo, who is coming off a narrow defeat in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes and also Jackson Bend, who went on to bag the Grade 1 Forego Stakes and the James
Marvin, both at Saratoga.
Jersey Town loves being the long shot and relishes these kinds of situations, and he got this reputation when he was sent off as the 34 to 1 long shot in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile last year.
The son of Speightstown, out of Jersey Girl by Belong to Me, Jersey Town stunned his Cigar Mile rivals, when being the longest shot in the field he dueled with Haynesfield through the final 200 yards before prevailing by a head to win.
It was a rousing edition of the Grade 1, $250,000 Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile on 27 November, 2010, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The feel to Grade 2 Kelso is sort of the same, and Uncle Mo, Jackson Bend and all the favoured runners for Kelso have to be wary of unpredictable Jersey Town.
Setting aside his ability to shell shock his opponents, Jersey Town has been in pretty good form this year. Jersey Town hadn’t run after the Cigar Mile, and after a long layoff, Jersey Town made his first start of the year 2011 in Teddy Drone, a six furlong
dash at Monmouth Park.
On 31 July, 2011, Jersey Town rolled in second, just behind Force Freeze, and he next start was in the Grade 1 Forego 7 furlong dash at Saratoga on 3 September, 2011.
Jersey Town was the runner up yet again, but this time losing out to the Kelso challenger Jackson Bend under jockey Cornelio Velasquez.
After a positive start to the 2011 campaign, Jersey Town is preparing well for the Grade 2 Kelso, as he worked five furlongs in 1 minute and 0.67 seconds over the Belmont track.
Jersey Town did go his quarter mile in 23.80 seconds and finished in 36.87 seconds, while being completely shut down after hitting the wire under jockey Cornelio Velasquez.
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