LOUISVILLE – Early speed continued to dominate at the 35th edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships as Jaywalk grabbed the lead at the break and then drew clear in the stretch to capture the $2 million Tito’s Handmade Vodka Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on “Future Stars Friday” at Churchill Downs.
The victory marked the third straight Breeders’ Cup win by a horse who led in the opening stages of the race.
Jaywalk, trained by John Servis, led heading into the first turn and cruised along the backstretch with a clear lead before Restless Rider moved up to challenge her on the final turn. But when asked by jockey Joel Rosario in the stretch, Jaywalk found a second gear and drew clear to win by a convincing 5 ½ lengths.
“She wanted to go and did it so easily,” Rosario said.
Sent off at 5-1 odds, Jaywalk paid $13 to win.
Final time for the mile-and-a-sixteenth was 1:43.62.
Jaywalk is owned by Cash is King LLC and D J Stable. Cash is King and Servis previously teamed with 2005 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Afleet Alex.
Servis’ only other Breeders’ Cup starter was Jostle, who was ninth in the 2000 Breeders' Cup Distaff.
The win was the fourth in five career starts for Jaywalk, who took the Frizette Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park – a Breeders’ Cup Challenge series stakes - by 5 ¾ lengths in her previous start.
Judging by past history, Friday’s victory should be a major boost to Jaywalk’s chances of winning the Eclipse Award as the champion 2-year-old filly. Of the last 17 recipients of the award, 16 won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
The lone exception was in 2013 when the Eclipse Award went to She’s a Tiger, who was disqualified in from first in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and was placed second behind Ria Antonia.
Her main rival for the division championship figures to be Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Newspaperofrecord, who is undefeated in three starts, all on turf.
By Bob Ehalt
