Know More and Goldencents looking good to land the Delta Downs Jackpot for Doug O’Neill
The Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot is strictly exclusive for 2-year-old colts and geldings, and it will be run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles as the event has reeled in a field of nine juveniles, and due to the Kentucky Derby points system –set to be implemented in the 2013 edition – the Jackpot winner will get 10 points, the runner-up 4, third 2, and the fourth gets a solitary point.
In that regard, winning this race is not only for the huge purse it has to offer, but for next year’s Derby trail, and the Jackpot victor will have a comfortable leg over the rest starting as 3-year-olds.
Talking about this year’s Jackpot, the field is an extremely open one, and it is hard to predict a winner, but out of the nine participating, the one’s, who give a good feel are Goldencents and Know More, as both come from the barn of Kentucky Derby winning trainer, Doug O’Neill.
Dave Kenney and W. C. Racing’s Goldencents has looked sharp in his two career starts, and after breaking his maiden at first asking, the Into Mischief colt finished runner-up to Shanghai Bobby in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on 6 October.
Reddam Racing’s Know More on the other hand has the luxury of experience over his stable mate. With two more starts than Goldencents, Know More participated at the highest level against the cream of the 2-year-old crop in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, and finished a dismal thirteenth.
It was the colt’s first off the board finish in four starts, and prior to it he was exiting a strong second place finish to a difficult opponent, Power Broker, in the Grade 1 FrontRunner Stakes.
The Kentucky bred colt by Lion Heart, Know More, also finished second to, Rolling Fog, in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, and won the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes.
“I look for big efforts from both of them,” said O’Neill. “Both colts are extremely talented, and the great thing is they won’t conflict with each other because they’ve got contrasting styles.”
Tags: