Joe Labozzetta Photo

Jack Christopher dominates G1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun

by NYRA Press Office

On a star-studded program with eight Grade 1 races and the third jewel of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, as its marquee attraction, Jack Christopher made a bid to shine brightest of them all on Saturday at Belmont Park with a complete tour-de-force victory in the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun.

Run at seven furlongs on the main track for 3-year-olds, the Woody Stephens was Jack Christopher’s second Grade 1 victory at Belmont and cemented his status as the nation’s preeminent sophomore around one turn, though his foray into two-turn racing may not be far off.

“This horse is an exceptional talent,” said Brown. “This is my 15th year of training and I’ve never had a dirt horse with this much pure brilliance. He reminds me a lot of Ghostzapper when I worked for Bobby Frankel. He’s a brilliant horse that can probably run any distance.”

Sent off as the overwhelming 1-5 favorite in a field of six, Jack Christopher broke well from the rail and seemed intent on the lead under Jose Ortiz, but the two were confronted early by longshot Provocateur. Rather than duel with his pace rival from the inside, Ortiz briefly reined in the son of Munnings and angled him out into the clear on the Belmont backstretch. With positions now established, Provocateur led the field through moderate splits of 22.61 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.38 for the half over the fast main track as Jack Christopher sat perched to his outside all the way through the turn. 

As the field turned for home, however, the story quickly changed. No longer content to let Provocateur dictate terms, Jack Christopher and Ortiz effortlessly seized control of the lead and displayed a devastating turn of foot in the Big Sandy stretch as he powered away from his overmatched foes with every stride. When the dust finally settled, Jack Christopher blitzed his competition by 10 lengths and stopped the clock in 1:21.18.

“It was very nice and easy,” said Ortiz. “When I took a peek back, I was ready to let him go and did a little bit. He was very impressive today.

“This is why we work hard and wake up every day,” the jockey added. “We dream about these kinds of races and he’s a very nice horse. Hopefully, he stays healthy and we keep doing it.”

Owned in partnership by Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud and Peter Brant, Jack Christopher began his career last summer at Saratoga Race Course, where he trounced a field of maidens by 8 3/4 lengths, before notching his first Grade 1 win in the Champagne on October 2 at Belmont with a Beyer Speed Figure of 102.

After being scratched out of a start in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to close out his 2-year-old campaign, which cost him a chance at being formally recognized as the best in his division in 2021, Jack Christopher didn’t made his belated sophomore debut until May 7 in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard, a race he won emphatically by 3 3/4 lengths.

“[Munnings] is a sire I’ve always loved and had a lot of luck with,” said Liz Crow, who bought Jack Christopher for $135,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Yearling Sale in 2020. “We’ve had quite a few nice Munnings. I saw the horse at the October Sale and I saw him at the Fasig-Tipton September Showcase Sale. He RNA'd [for $145,000] in the first spot but I really liked him and bid on him.

“When I saw him again in October, he was a bigger and stronger version of what I saw in September, so I was pretty firm on wanting to get him bought,” Crow added. “It was funny because [co-owner] Jim Bakke wanted a filly and not a colt. I called Brad Weisbord, who manages him on a day-to-day basis, and said, ‘Please can we buy this horse? I love him.’ He said, ‘Okay, go to $125,000.’ We went to $135,000 and asked for forgiveness instead of permission and Jim said, ‘No problem.’ Jim and Gerry are great owners. They have the confidence in me to pick what I want to pick at sales.”

Jack Christopher, bred in Kentucky by Castleton Lyons & Kilboy Estate, returned $2.70 as the prohibitive favorite in the Woody Stephens and increased his earnings to $841,400.

After sitting a perfect trip just off the speed on the inside, the Mark Casse-trained Pappacap and jockey Flavien Prat rallied to get runner-up honors behind Jack Christopher for the second consecutive race, though this time around they couldn’t get as close to the monstrous 3-year-old as they did in the Pat Day Mile. After mixed results to begin the year, Pappacap, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up, has found a home in one-turn races in 2022.

“He ran good. The other horse was just a huge freak," said Casse.

The pacesetting Provocateur held on to get third, 2 1/4 lengths in front of his stablemate Wit, who was followed home by Chasing Time and Morello.

Live racing resumes Sunday at Belmont with a nine-race card featuring the $150,000 Jersey Girl for sophomore fillies going six furlongs on the main track in Race 3 at 2:03 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the spring/summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.