Way back in the day, Leonard Jerome (1817-1891) was as big as you can get. The super-rich New York financier built Jerome Park, a state-of-the-art showplace in the Bronx where the first Belmont Stakes was run in 1867. Jerome also was the maternal grandfather of Winston Churchill, one of the giants of the 20th century, making Leonard a top broodmare sire through his daughter Jennie.
Cyclone State. NYRA/Coglianese Photo.
Field of eight for Derby prep at Big A
The first Jerome Stakes was staged in 1866, making it the second-oldest stakes in the United States to the Travers (1863). New York’s first 2025 race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby will be run Saturday at Aqueduct and will award Derby qualifying points to the first five finishers on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis.
It’s a one-turn mile, a distance and configuration that hasn’t translated to success going 1¼ miles at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. The last horse to hit the Jerome-Derby double was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. Yet in the interim some Jerome winners developed into standout sprinter-milers — Independence Hall, Firenze Fire, Mind Control, Silver Train – and maybe this year’s field of eight will produce another.
For those who bet horse racing, here’s a few handicapping insights.
Can speed hold up?
There’s a lot of speed signed on, so it’s likely that the winner will come from the second flight. Enduring Spirit looks overmatched, but Mansetti, Georgia Magic and Cyclone State could create hot early fractions. Expect Cyclone State, at 7-2, to lead into the stretch.
Ican and Omaha Omaha have run OK from off the pace but are a cut below two-time stakes winner Studlydoright, 5-2, and the up-and-coming McAfee, the 2-1 favorite.
Studlydoright has by far the best class lines. The winner of the 5½-furlong Tremont and the mile Nashua is 3-for-7 with two seconds, and three losses were against Mo Plex, Chancer McPatrick and Poster, all highly regarded. Studlydoright comes in off a distant fourth to the 3-for-3 Poster in Aqueduct’s Grade 2, 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes.
The cutback to a mile and class drop should help, and the Maryland-based son of Nyquist won the Nashua over the Jerome’s course and distance. That’s a lot to like, but the concern is that it’s his eighth race since May. Will he rebound from a subpar effort against better opponents in the Remsen? Or could he be over the top and need a rest?
McAfee gives Dutrow big chance
Which brings us to McAfee, the half-brother of presumptive Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna. He’s trained by Rick Dutrow, Jr., who’s on an awesome roll with 16 wins in his past 35 starts (an outrageous 46%).
Dutrow confidently puts the oversized colt in a stakes in only his third start. He missed by a head last out in a one-turn mile at Churchill.
“He’s huge,” Dutrow told nyra.com publicity. “He’s a big horse and we love him. We were so happy with the way he ran last time. He ran like a true racehorse on the inside and just kept coming. That’s what you love seeing from a second-time starter.”
Maybe the Jerome is too much too soon for McAfee, but maybe not. Let’s trust Dutrow’s judgment and ride his hot streak.
The picks: 1 McAfee 2 Cyclone State 3 Studlydoright
The field for the $150,000 Jerome, from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Enduring Spirit (Sofia Vives, Jose Jimenez), 30-1
2 Mansetti (Sahin Civaci, Kevin Attard), 10-1
3 Ican (Manny Franco, Rick Dutrow, Jr.), 8-1
4 Omaha Omaha (Raul Mena, Michael Gorham), 8-1
5 Georgia Magic (Romero Maragh, Ray Handal), 10-1
6 Cyclone State (Luis Rivera, Jr., Chad Summers), 7-2
7 Studlydoright (Xavier Perez, Jerry Robb), 5-2
8 McAfee (Juan Gomez, Rick Dutrow, Jr.), 2-1
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
