Class President
This time last year, CHC and WinStar had a bevy of 2-year-old colts break their maidens, including Grade I winners Tappan Street and Patch Adams. This year’s crop is following in their hoofprints with Jackson Hole (Nyquist), Class President (Uncle Mo) and Easterly (Uncle Mo) all making newsworthy debuts.
Jackson Hole, a $1.3-million KEESEP buy, was the first to catch the eye in a Dec. 13 maiden special at Gulfstream. Racing off the pace four wide, the bay pounced on the leaders in the lane and forged clear for a one-length victory.
On Dec. 27, it was Class President and Easterly’s turn. Easterly did the heavy lifting, pressing the pacesetter early, while Class President watching from a ground-saving third. Swung out to launch a bid by Irad Ortiz in the lane, Class President coasted the front and kept on rolling. Easterly put away the pacesetter and proved best of the rest in second.
“It’s been an exciting couple of weeks,” said CHC’s Christie DeBernardis. “This time last year, Tappan Street, Patch Adams and Gunmetal all broke their maidens. In the past two weeks, we had Tappan Street make a successful return to the races, and Jericho, Class President and Easterly all make impressive debuts. Easterly may not have won, but he could not have run much better in defeat to a horse we’ve all been pretty high on. He looks poised to win next out. The sky is the limit on all three of these colts and we are excited to see what the future holds.”