Races like the Jerome Stakes are considered preps for the Kentucky Derby (G1).
But they are actually more of a test to see if a newly turned 3-year-old has what it takes to be a successful runner in longer and richer races in the new year.
"With these new 3-year-olds you want building blocks," trainer Chad Summers said.
Summers trains the Iowa-bred Cyclone State who will make his stakes debut in the Jan. 4 $150,000 Jerome for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct Racetrack after a pair of sharp victories over the track at the same mile distance as Saturday's stakes.
"He's accomplished what he needed to in the last two starts and since then he continues to take steps forward," Summers said. "He's been working phenomenally."
Owned by Al Gold's Gold Square, George Messina, and Michael Lee, Cyclone State found his groove in his fourth career start when Summers entered him as a main-track-only entrant in a Sept. 28 maiden turf race at the Big A.
When Mother Nature washed out grass racing, Cyclone State faced four rivals in the one-turn mile test after finishing sixth at 1 1/16 miles in a turf race in his previous try and sixth and fourth in a pair of dirt sprints before that.
After sitting a few lengths off the pace in those losses, he grabbed a four-length lead on the backstretch before settling for a runner-up finish by a length to Aviator Gui, who would subsequently finish second in the Remsen Stakes (G2).
After that, the son of McKinzie bred by H. Allen Poindexter cruised to front-running maiden and allowance wins to earn his spot in the Jerome where there figures to be a lively early pace.
"When we saw how much speed was nominated to the Jerome, we decided to switch it up a little bit and we worked him behind horses to see if he can do that," Summers said. "He was able to overcome that and get the bullet for the work (five furlongs in 1:01.21 at the Belmont training track Dec. 27) but he also did it the right way with (jockey Luis Rivera Jr.) aboard. You want to learn more about him when he's taking dirt and things like that. I think we have a good Plan A, but we'll go to Plan B, C, or D depending on how the race shakes out."
Cyclone State, who has earned $125,750, was bought for $70,000 by Joe Hardoon on behalf of the ownership group from the Wynnstay Sales consignment at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The field of eight will be chasing a total of 21 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, distributed in a 10-5-3-2-1 manner to the top five finishers.
David Hughes' Studlydoright already has two qualifying points after finishing fourth in the Dec. 7 Remsen Stakes at 1 1/8 miles.
A Nyquist colt trained by John Robb, the Maryland-bred already has wins in the Nashua and Tremont stakes and was second in the Sanford Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course.
The top contenders also include a pair from trainer Rick Dutrow in Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Breeder Judy Hicks, and Scott Rice's McAfee (Cloud Computing), who is a half brother to leading Horse of the Year candidate Thorpedo Anna and was beaten a head in a Nov. 24 starter race at Churchill Downs, and FMQ Stables' Ican (Preservationist), who was second by 2 3/4 lengths to Cyclone State in a Dec. 6 allowance optional claimer.
Al and Bill Ulwelling's Mansetti, a Canadian-bred son of Collected trained by Kevin Attard, will make his dirt debut after winning the Clarendon Stakes on Woodbine's all weather track.
Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, January 4, 2025, Race 8Entries: Jerome S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Enduring Spirit (KY) Sofia Vives 118 Jose M. Jimenez 30/1 2 2Mansetti (ON) Sahin Civaci 120 Kevin Attard 10/1 3 3Ican (KY) Manuel Franco 118 Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. 8/1 4 4Omaha Omaha (VA) Raul E. Mena 120 Michael E. Gorham 8/1 5 5Georgia Magic (KY) Romero Ramsay Maragh 118 Raymond Handal 10/1 6 6Cyclone State (IA) Luis R. Rivera, Jr. 120 Chad Summers 7/2 7 7Studlydoright (MD) Xavier Perez 123 John J. Robb 5/2 8 8McAfee (KY) Jose Antonio Gomez 118 Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. 2/1
