Janet Napolitiano Photo

Domestic Product prevails in G1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial

by Brian Bohl

Klaravich Stables’ Kentucky homebred Domestic Product used a late-charging run to out-duel favorite Prince of Monaco, running eye-to-eye in the final furlong from the outside for an impressive victory by a neck in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores, on Travers Day at Saratoga Race Course.

Jockey Flavien Prat, who had ridden both Domestic Product and Prince of Monaco extensively entering the race, was back in the former’s irons for the 46th running of the Jerkens [formerly the King’s Bishop]. Prat helped Domestic Product overcome a lackluster start, tracking in eighth position as Grade 2 Amsterdam-winner World Record was hustled from the inside post to lead the 11-horse field through quick fractions, with the opening quarter-mile in 22.04 seconds and the half in 44.28 over the fast main track.

World Record maintained the lead out of the turn before Prince of Monaco’s bid to his outside made him the challenger. That move gave the surging Domestic Product a target, and the two linked up in thundering home, with Domestic Product outlasting his competitor to complete the course in a 1:21.71 final time.

Prince of Monaco, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert with fellow enshrine John Velazquez aboard, finished one length clear of the late-running Book’em Danno for second. It was a whopping seven lengths back to the rest of the field, with third-place Grade 1 Haskell finisher Timberlake landing fourth. Reynolds Channel, World Record, Jefferson Street, Vettriano, Speak Easy, Otto the Conqueror and Little Ni completed the order of finish.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown notched his third Allen Jerkens victory, joining Practical Joke in 2017 and Jack Christopher in 2022. He earned that distinction as Domestic Product recorded consecutive wins for the first time in his career, following a 7 1/2-length victory in the Grade 3 Dwyer in July at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Domestic Product, off at 9/2, returned $11 on a $2 win bet. The 13th place finisher of this year's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby improved his career earnings to $729,200. He is a son of Practical Joke, who Brown and Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables campaigned together to a win in the 2017 Jerkens.

“This horse has always been a high-quality horse. I thought enough of him to run him in the Kentucky Derby,” Brown said. “I was just commenting to my team, I’ve been around a while and I did the same thing with his father, more or less. Practical Joke ran in the Derby, he had won the Dwyer, cutting the horse back into the Jerkens and he won, it seems like not too long ago.

“Right after the Derby I started to work backward from this race and I told Seth that we were going to try to do the same thing we did with his sire and cut him back on Travers Day, and it worked,” Brown added.

Brown said he was concerned to see his charge well off the pace early.

“I wasn’t feeling too well when he broke slow, but as he started to move up during the race he did it in a way, inside other horses, where it didn’t look like he was using up too much energy to improve his position,” Brown said. “I was optimistic at least turning for home, and then as I saw him just gobbling up ground late, I thought he’d have a chance near the wire. He nosed out a very, very good horse.”

Prat won his 14th stakes race of the Saratoga summer meet, putting him in striking distance of an impressive record for most in a single meet at the historic track. Joel Rosario and Irad Ortiz, Jr. each won 15 in 2022, while Velazquez first set the mark in 2005.

“He jumped just OK. I thought I was going to be a little closer, to be honest,” Prat said regarding the trip. “Then, he came on the bridle nicely. From the half-mile to the three-eighths pole, I thought I was traveling very well. After that, he was very brave to get the win. I thought it was a great, great effort."

Prince of Monaco, a Speightstown colt, moved to 3-2-0 in six career starts. He entered off a second in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on Belmont Stakes Day over the same Saratoga track in June.

“He broke good. He actually had a really good break today. We had a perfect trip,” Velazquez said. “We were where we wanted to be in the first part of the race. I asked him to run - he ran. The other one was just a little faster than mine."

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with the annual New York Showcase Day card, featuring six stakes worth a combined $1.25 million. First post on the 11-race all New York-bred program is 1:10. p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

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