Irish Jasper upsets Belle Harbor on Aqueduct’s closing day

Irish Jasper was the longest shot in the Belle Harbor but ran like a favorite to win (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography) After wintering in Florida and making a pit stop in Maryland, Irish Jasper (First Defence) returned to New York to take the $98,000 Belle Harbor S. for three-year-old fillies on closing day at Aqueduct Sunday. Sent off as a 13-1 outsider in the field of five, Irish Jasper put away her better regarded foes convincingly, cruising home to a one-length victory under Kendrick Carmouche, who was aboard for her maiden win. “She broke good, but I just wanted to tuck her in and let her get a little bit of dirt at the beginning,” Carmouche explained. “Once we got to the half-mile pole, I just let her have a clear trip because I saw Irad (Ortiz Jr. aboard Perchance [Distorted Humor]) was gearing up but getting trapped in a little. The best thing I could do was tip her out and see if I could outrun (Perchance) from the quarter-pole home.” Irish Jasper returned $28.40 for the 2 win, and completed 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16 4/5. Her improved her line to read 4-0-1 from seven career starts and has now banked $135,800 lifetime. Perchance, the 7-5 favorite trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, survived a long inquiry to remain in second place. Lakeside Sunset (Bellamy Road) finished third, 4 1/4 lengths in front of Grade 2 heroine Paulassilverlining (Ghostzapper). Lindisfarne (City Zip) completed the order of finish.

Owned and trained by Derek Ryan, Irish Jasper began her
career last fall at Parx Racing, where she won a $25,000 maiden claimer by 8 1/2
lengths. Protected in her next start — a starter allowance race at the Big A —
the dark bay miss finished a fast-closing third on November 20. From there, she doubled back to Parx to win a starter allowance before spending the winter at Tampa Bay
Downs, where she captured her stakes bow in the Gasparilla S. by a half-length before finishing eighth in
her two-turn debut in the Suncoast S. on January 31.

On her way back to New York, Ryan elected to run his
talented filly in the Stormy Blues S. going a grassy five furlongs at Pimlico, but she
could only manage a distant fourth-place finish after a troubled beginning.

“I sort of stopped by Pimlico on the way back from Tampa
and got a good five-eighths work on the turf in her,” Ryan said. “She came out
of the race really good; I was confident she’d run a good race (in the Belle
Harbor).”

Also on Aqueduct’s closing day card were two divisions of the New York Stallion
S. (NYSS) series.

The $98,000
Times Square
division for New York-bred colts and geldings kicked off the day’s program,
going to the Charlton
Baker-trained Possessed (Posse). Also owned by Baker along with Daniel Hayden,
Possessed bumped his career record to 7-2-3-1, $134,950, when prevailing by a length
under jockey Jose Ortiz.

In the filly counterpart, the $100,000
Park
Avenue division, Toby Sheets and ZBS Thoroughbreds’ Take Issue (Sir Whimsey) launched a wide rally to register a 14-1 upset for trainer
Steve Asmussen. It was 1 1/4 lengths behind the bay miss and jockey Junior
Alvarado to even-money favorite The Lewis Dinner (Posse), who brought a three
race win streak into the Park Avenue, including the NYSS Fifth Avenue division.
Take Issue is now on her third straight victory after taking this, her stakes
bow, and running her lifetime mark to 4-3-0-0, $114,850.

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