Poor break or not, Jackson Bend rose to the occasion and won the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope Stakes at Gulfstream Park
Robert V. LaPenta – Jacks or Better Farm owned, Jackson Bend, was off target when he started his 2011 campaign, but came back strongly at the backend of the previous season by bagging important races to keep him in the conversation for the Breeders’ Cup. However, the tail end of the season had everything for Jackson Bend, but a Breeders’ Cup win, where he finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Still not bad for a horse, who was desperate to find some sort of luck to go his way to spark up his career a few months back. The script has been re-written by the newly turned Nicholas P. Zito trained 5-year-old horse, who in stark contrast to his 2011 beginnings has landed his first race of the new, 2012, season.
The Florida bred son of Hear No Evil, out of mare s**y Stockings by Tabasco Cat, Jackson Bend just like last year, kicked off his campaign at Gulfstream Park, but the difference this year was that he was sent as the 9 to 10 favourite to win the Grade 3, $100,000 Hal’s Hope, and he obliged in style.
Under the veteran, yet patient jockey , John Velazquez, Jackson Bend excelled in every part of the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope against a field of eight 4-year-old and above males.
Going at about a mile since his second place finish in the Grade 2 Kelso last year, Jackson Bend broke poorly, and settled in last.
Bound to come off pace, Jackson Bend was shaken once he swung off the far turn, but lacked room and it all required some fine skills from the jockey and the horse’s will to out finish the wall of horses that kept him from achieving his goal.
Velazquez was determined, and more often than not, this jockey finds a way to finish first.
He angled Jackson Bend out for the stretch drive, and the colt responded in style with a powerful run to score his first win of the season over Sangaree by a length.
It was his second graded stakes win of his career, and by the looks of things, the colt is getting into the groove after maturing as he put the Hal’s Hope Stakes to bed in 1 minute and 38.19 seconds.
Tags: