Jackson Hole stamped his ticket for a trip down the GI Kentucky Derby trail Saturday with a dominant allowance victory at Fair Grounds.
A debut winner sprinting at Gulfstream last month, Jackson Hole was hammered down to 2-5 favoritism for this stretch out to two turns in NOLA. Breaking flawlessly, the $1.3-million KEESEP acquisition was on cruise control under top rider Flavien Prat. Showing the way into the lane, the bay easily opened up on his competition, crossing the line 5 ½ lengths clear of the rest of the field.
“That is exactly what you want to see from a horse in his first try around two turns,” said CHC’s Christie DeBernardis. “We couldn’t have asked for a better effort. He did it very easily. He’s a big, strong horse. Everything about him screams two turns. He certainly ran like more distance would be no issue. He has earned the right to try a Derby prep next and we look forward to a fun season with him and our partners.”
Jackson Hole’s final time was .27 seconds faster than the GIII Lecomte S., a Derby points race run at the same distance later on the card. The son of Nyquist also earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure, a huge improvement off the 60 Beyer he registered in his unveiling. He was tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ for the effort, an honor also given to the likes of top CHC runners Justify, Life Is Good and Patch Adams, among others.