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First crop of Union Jackson off to a strong start on track

by NYRA Press Office

• First crop of Union Jackson off to a strong start on track
• Un Ojo has his eye on the prize in NYSSS Great White Way
• Levine hopes added ground will help Bustin Pietre in NYSSS Great White Way

New York sire Union Jackson will be represented by two runners in Saturday’s $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way for eligible state-sired 2-year-olds going seven furlongs over the main track at Aqueduct Racetrack. Entering his fourth year at stud in 2022, Union Jackson has been well-represented on the track so far, siring five winners in his first crop from 15 starters. 

By sire of sires Curlin and out of 2009 Grade 1 Spinaway winner Hot Dixie Chick, Union Jackson is a graded stakes-placed stakes winner of over $273,000 with victories at five different racetracks. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Union Jackson was third in the Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs in 2016 and won the Sam Houston Sprint Cup at Sam Houston Race Park and the Iowa Sprint at Prairie Meadows in 2017. 

Retired to Sequel New York in Hudson in 2018, Union Jackson proved popular with breeders as the only son of Curlin standing in New York at the time until Solomini entered stud at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds last year. 

Union Jackson bred 78 mares for 42 live foals in his first crop and has seen progeny sell for up to $180,000, making him the current leading sire in New York by gross, average, and median 2-year-old sales. 

Union Jackson celebrated his first winner when Our Tiny Dancer trounced an off-the-turf maiden claimer by eight lengths on September 9 traveling one mile at Delaware Park. 

Becky Thomas of Sequel New York said that she had not expected Union Jackson’s progeny to relish more ground. 

“Union Jackson’s first crop has been precocious at the 2-year-old sales,” said Thomas. “We were a little surprised to see his foals wanting to go a bit longer. We’ll probably see him breeding more middle-distance mares. He is an athletic, well-balanced, and fast individual.”

A half-brother to Pauline’s Pearl, a daughter of Tapit who captured this year’s Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park, Union Jackson hails from a family that continues to yield top performers on the racetrack.

“His pedigree is stellar and his family keeps adding to their legacy by increasing the quality of the pedigree,” said Thomas. “It’s not just a flash in the pan. It’s a very deep family.” 

Unique Unions and Hoboken Jack will try to become the first stakes winner for their young sire when making a step up in class Saturday for their first try against winners. 

Trained and co-owned by Rick Schosberg with Clear Stars Stable and Mitre Box Stable, Unique Unions was an impressive six-furlong maiden winner by 4 ¼ lengths on November 20 at the Big A. That effort improved off a disappointing debut where he tried for the early lead but was pulled up at the top of the stretch by jockey Manny Franco before being vanned off as a precaution. 

Schosberg said Unique Unions has already made a good impression in his barn. 

“He’s the first Union Jackson I’ve had,” Schosberg said. “He’s got a cool and laid-back personality. He’s been exactly what we look for. Becky reached out to congratulate us on the maiden win afterwards, especially because it came after that first race when it looked like it could have not ended well. I actually called her after Union Jackson had his first winner and told her that he was going to have another one.”

Flying P Stable’s and Spedale Family Racing’s Hoboken Jack will be making his first start for his connections after being claimed out of his October 10 state-bred maiden claiming win for $50,000. Now trained by Danny Gargan, Hoboken Jack hopes to build on his one-length victory as he makes his stakes debut. 

Unique Unions [9-2ML] will exit the inside post with Franco aboard, while Hoboken Jack [15-1ML] will emerge from post 7 under Jose Lezcano.

The Great White Way, set for Race 6, is the first of two New York Stallion Stakes Series races on Saturday’s nine-race card, with the Fifth Avenue division slated for Race 8. With each division offering a purse of $500,000, the New York Stallion Stakes Series rewards owners and breeders for their efforts to breed mares to stallions in the Empire State. First post on Saturday’s card is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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Un Ojo has his eye on the prize in NYSSS Great White Way

Cypress Creek Equine's Un Ojo, a one-eyed son of Laoban, will make his New York debut for trainer Tony Dutrow in Saturday's $500,000 NYSSS Great White Way, a seven-furlong sprint for eligible state-sired juveniles.

The dark bay gelding, who was trained through his first three starts by Ricky Courville, graduated at second asking sprinting 6 1/2-furlongs on November 5 at Delta Downs. He returned two weeks later at the Vinton, Louisiana track to finish fourth in the one-mile Jean Lafitte after racing last-of-10 early when exiting the inside post.

"I've had him here for about 10 days. He's an attractive horse and very proper. He does very well with only one eye," Dutrow said. "As far as the race, I think seven-eighths might be a bit short for him, but it's seven-eighths for half a million dollars and the clients think he deserves a shot. He’s done everything right so far."

Un Ojo, who is missing his left eye, will exit the outermost post 11 on Saturday in rein to Trevor McCarthy.

"Trevor knows what he's doing. With these young horses we only have so much to go on with what they've done so far and that doesn't promise anything about what they'll do going forward. I'll be happy to let Trevor play it as he sees it," Dutrow said.

Bred in New York by Southern Equine Stables, Un Ojo, out of the A.P. Indy mare Risk a Chance, worked five-eighths in 1:02.54 Sunday over a sloppy Belmont main track.

Dutrow said he will have 12 horses stabled in New York through the winter, including Joseph Imbesi's Pennsylvania homebred Buy Land and See.

The 4-year-old Cairo Prince colt has made all eight career starts on turf, including a win in the 2019 Awad to close out his juvenile campaign at Belmont. Buy Land and See has posted back-to-back bullet works at Belmont, including a half-mile in 47.40 over the dirt training track on November 23 with an eye towards a surface switch in the New Year.

"He's doing very good and we are going to try him on the dirt. He trains too good on the dirt not to try him," Dutrow said. "So, right after the Christmas break we'll look for a race. We don't think we've seen all he's capable of yet."

Dutrow has enjoyed a solid 2021 season, posting a record of 70-17-20 for purse earnings in excess of $1.2 million. In addition to a win by Miss Brazil in the Ruthless in February, Dutrow said the emergence of High Opinion was among the season's highlights.

A 4-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid owned by Woodford Racing and Team D, High Opinion made two starts at Saratoga this summer, winning an allowance on July 31 ahead of a narrow nose loss to Grade 1-winner Viadera in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa in August.

"High Opinion's race at Saratoga in the Ballston Spa is the race I enjoyed the most," Dutrow said. "I know we lost but for her to step up from a first-level allowance race into such good company and run that well was a real highlight of our year."

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Levine hopes added ground will help Bustin Pietre in NYSSS Great White Way

Roddy Valente’s New York-homebred Bustin Pietre will stretch out to seven furlongs in Saturday’s $500,000 NYSSS Great White for eligible New York-sired juveniles.

Trained by Bruce Levine, the Bustin Stones chestnut is out of the 10-time winning It’s No Joke mare Amulay, who was also conditioned by Levine.

Levine said the added furlong shouldn’t trouble Bustin Pietre, who graduated at first asking in a six-furlong state-bred maiden claimer on October 10 at Belmont ahead of a runner-up effort to Senbei in the six-furlong Notebook on November 21 at the Big A for state-bred juveniles.

“You never know until you try. I trained his mother and she was a two-turn horse,” Levine said. “I know most of the Bustin Stones are sprinters, but I don't think the seven-eighths will be a problem. He's built more like a router than a sprinter.”

Bustin Pietre was second at every point of call last out in a race won gate-to-wire by multiple stakes winner Senbei, but the chestnut showed determination to hold off the multiple stakes placed Daufuskie Island by a half-length to complete the exacta.

Kendrick Carmouche, aboard for both starts, retains the mount from post 2 in the 11-horse field, which Levine said was a little too far inside for his liking.

“He came out of the last race good. He's training well,” Levine said. “Would I like to be a little bit further out - yes. But that's the game.”

Levine said Flying P Stable and R. A. Hill Stable’s Cupid’s Heart, a 2-year-old daughter of Cupid, is training well out of her fifth-place finish in the six-furlong Key Cents for state-bred fillies on November 21 at the Big A.

A state-bred maiden winner at first asking on October 23 over Big Sandy, Cupid’s Heart breezed a half-mile in 48.95 on December 10 over the Belmont dirt training track.

“She's doing real good. I'm waiting on a new condition book to make a game plan for her,” Levine said. “We worked her a half last week and it went well.”