$1M Delta Downs Jackpot Top Contenders

by Patricia Woo | Nov 15 2010

The end of the 2010 racing season is drawing near – which means 2011 is right around the corner! Get a sneak preview of some of the exciting up-and-coming juveniles in the lucrative $1M Gr. 3 Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes, which will be run on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Delta Downs. Sweet Ducky, Bug Juice and Blue Laser are among the top contenders for this 1 1/16 mile event.

Venturing outside Monmouth Park for the first time is Sweet Ducky, a son of Pulpit trained by Kelly Breen. Sweet Ducky broke his maiden on first asking on June 20 and then had a minor setback in the Tyro Stakes on July 25, finishing fourth. He bounced back in a big way, winning the 1 mile $100,000 Garden Stake Stakes two months later – and continued on that roll in the $70,000 Seton Hall University Stakes on Oct. 23, which he won by an easy four lengths. The Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes will be Sweet Ducky's first try at a graded stakes race as he looks to add to his 4-3-0-0 record and $148,250 in earnings; he posted a 4 furlong breeze in 47.80 at Delta Downs on Nov. 13.

Boasting the most graded stakes earnings of all the nominees for the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes is Bug Juice, who has already earned $280,740 in his short career. A gelded son of Mingun, Bug Juice took two tries to break his maiden, successfully doing so in August at Saratoga. He then dominated in two consecutive races at Finger Lakes: He won the Aspirant Stakes by 7 lengths on Sept. 6 and the New York Breeders' Futurity by an incredible 10 lengths on Oct. 2. This New York-bred has been in training at Belmont Park and turned in a recent 6 furlong breeze in 1:15.67 for trainer Bruce Levine.

Already a graded stakes winner in Canada, Blue Laser is another top contender for the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes. This son of Bluegrass Cat has been racing exclusively at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada, and re-rallied with an impressive closing kick to score a half-length victory in the $225,000 Gr. 3 Grey Stakes last out on Oct. 10. This followed his second attempt at breaking his maiden on Aug. 28 for trainer Mark Casse. He has already earned $175,470 from three starts and is 2-0-1.

Other nominees of note are Classic Legacy, Aces N Kings and Gourmet Dinner.

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