For a 3-year-old colt, the first Saturday in January at chilly Aqueduct Racetrack feels a lot more than five months removed from the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.
Winning a stakes such as the $139,500 Jerome Stakes Jan. 3 at the Big A may earn a 3-year-old some Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points, but the one-turn mile Jerome is still light years from the challenge of the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby.
Nevertheless, My World certainly looked the part of a promising newly turned 3-year-old as he took over from 3-5 favorite Balboa in the final sixteenth and drew clear to notch a 2-length win in the Jerome that painted him as a horse who could have a bright future around two turns.
"He ran big. It took him a while to get by (Balboa) but maybe this was him telling us he wants to go two turns," said trainer Brad Cox. "This was very encouraging."
Breeding could also be an asset for My World, a winner of three straight starts for owners Robert LaPenta and Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables (which also owns a share of runner-up Balboa). He's by Essential Quality , who won the Belmont (G1) and Travers (G1) stakes for Cox in 2021.
"It's the first crop of 3-year-olds for his sire," Cox said, "but what we know about the stallion and from what we've seen in My World, it looks like the more distance, the better for him."
Cleary the 3-year-old bred by Cove Springs in Kentucky out of the Into Mischief mare Quebec loves Aqueduct as well. All three of his wins have come at the Big A, including by a 3 1/2-length score in the Nov. 1 Nashua Stakes in his previous start. Not surprisingly, with that in mind, Cox is leaning toward keeping My World on the New York path to the Run for the Roses, with the Jan. 31 Withers Stakes at 1 1/8 miles the next stop.
"He's done very well in New York. He seems to like the track at Aqueduct and handles the track well. Maybe that's the path we take to get us where we want to go," Cox said. "Next is two turns and the Withers is a logical spot to get us to the Wood Memorial."
With just a field of four after Mailata was scratched following a romp in a Dec. 30 Parx Racing stakes, the Jerome came down to a two-horse race. When Balboa, owned by "The Avengers" partnership and trained by Brittany Russell, forged to the front on the turn with Manny Franco, My World and Jaime Rodriguez moved up to challenge the son of Not This Time after 6 furlongs in 1:12.23.
Balboa, coming off a third in the longer Remsen Stakes (G2), held a length lead at the eighth pole, but My World, the 5-2 third choice ($7.24), surged to the front at the sixteenth pole and covered the mile in 1:38.96.
The win earned My World 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and Balboa picked up 5 to give him 9. St. Elias Stable's Enforced Agenda, who was 3 3/4 lengths back in third, netted 3 points.
My World was bought for $350,000 from the Warrendale Sales consignment at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is the second foal from Quebec and her first stakes winner. She also has a 2-year-old Uncle Mo colt and a yearling Constitution filly.
Video: Jerome S. (BT)
Dazzling Dame dazzles in Busanda
Russell had to settle for a second with Balboa in the Jerome, but had no worries at all in the stretch run of the $145,500 Busanda Stakes for 3-year-old fillies later on the card at the Big A.
Dazzling Dame won for fun as the daughter of Girvin led throughout and pulled away in the stretch with ease to post an 11 1/2-length laugher in the mile prep for the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The victory earned the multiple stakes winner 20 points toward a start in the 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
"She seems like she's progressed," Russell said. "She's a big, nice filly who does things right. Hopefully, we'll keep her healthy ... She was great today."
The 2-1 second choice ($6.24), Dazzling Dame completed the mile in 1:38.30, slightly faster than the 1:38.96 My World needed in the Jerome.
Owned by Roger "Rocky" Rashall Jr.'s Respect the Valleys and ridden by Jevian Toledo, the win was the fourth in five career starts for Dazzling Dame, who was exiting a victory in the Oct. 11 White Clay Creek Stakes at Delaware Park.
EGL-One Racing's Two Bits was second and earned 10 Oaks points while Repole Stable's Believable was 11 1/4 lengths back in third and received 6 points.
Bred by Maria Haire in Maryland, Dazzling Dame was bought for $45,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and has earned $240,525. Out of the Corinthian mare Awesome Dama, she is the lone stakes winner from her dam's five foals to race. Awesome Dama also has an unnamed Pinehurst 2-year-old filly and a yearling Engage filly named Ms. Engaged.
