Vyjack goes long in the Jerome Stakes
The Grade 2, $200,000 Jerome Stakes for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct will be Vyjack’s first two turn test, and after bagging two sprints in as many starts, the Rudy R. Rodriguez trained 3-year-old gelding is stretching out to one mile and seventy yards against
seven other rivals.
The Jerome Stakes is replacing the Count Fleet Stakes, because usually it runs in late April, but last year finding a spot in Belmont Park’s fall meet, the race will be moved to this spot on the calendar.
The one mile and seventy yards test does not hold any qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby for 3-year-olds, but it is a lucrative spot for the newly turned sophomores, who are eyeing a starting place in the Kentucky Derby and the prep races leading up
to the big event at Churchill Downs this May.
The 3-year-old bay gelding by Into Mischief, Vyjack has been impressive in his first two career starts, as he started off by beating maidens at first asking going 6 ½ furlongs at Aqueduct’s main track on 10 November, 2012, and he posted a convincing 1 ¾
length victory there.
He stayed at Aqueduct Racetrack to participate in the Traskwood Stakes, where he was stretched out to seven furlongs on 9 December, 2012, and there, in a field of four horses, he registered a magnificent 5 ¾ length victory in tough conditions.
“We’re very happy with Vyjack, the way he’s coming to the race,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said Monday. “It’s a little quick back and a couple of horses in there look very good, but it looks like he took his race very good and we’ll find out what we got.”
Trainer Rudy Rodriguez feels that the two turn mile and seventy yards is not out of Vyjack’s reach, considering he is a strongly built horse, with a great scope in racing as a three-year-old and beyond.
“He’s a nice-looking, big horse, so I think he’ll be okay going long,” Rodriguez said.
Jockey Cornelio Velasquez will be aboard Vyjack in the Jerome Stakes, and the duo will break from post number 2.
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